A panoramic photo is made by overlapping photographs to form a large panorama of the landscape that you want to change. The best time to take the pictures for this is when the sun is high in the sky, minimizing shadows. Start by standing at the property edge, looking back at the area you wish to landscape. You may need to go outside the boundary to get the whole picture. For instance to photograph the front yard, you may need to stand in the driveway (see fig. 1 below, view A). Begin by aiming the camera at one edge of your property and taking a picture. Move the camera, not your feet, and take another picture. Continue until you have covered the entire area you wish to landscape, making sure to overlap the pictures. If the area you wish to landscape is large, you may need to do two "sweeps" with the camera - one at eye level and one below eye level.
Next, go to a point next to your house opposite from where you took the first set of photos (see fig. 1 below, view B), and repeat the process looking out toward the property line. 
Once the photos have been printed, mount them on posterboard, cardboard or some other tiff paper. Overlap the pictures to match edges and features in the landscape. 
Now that you have your entire yard before you, you can begin to think about what changes you would like to make. You can see both the nice and not so nice things about your yard without distractions. This process will help with your Site and Use Analyses. As you work, use tracing paper laid over your photos to help you visualize the best location for trees, shrubs and other features you want to add to your landscape. It is much simpler to move a paper tree than a real one! 
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