It is not difficult to make a panorama without using expensive equipment. Those at 360panoramas.co.uk were all taken with a Canon PowerShot digital camera. Some were taken on the spur of the moment, hand held, and without a tripod.

To display a panorama on a website you will need a basic knowledge of web page coding (html etc). The panoramas at 360panoramas.co.uk mostly use 'PMVR' Java applets from www.duckware.com . Alternatives are the free 'PTViewer' applet from PTViewer. or 'QTVR' (Quick Time Virtual Reality) from www.apple.com

The individual shots will need to be stitched together by computer using a program such as Canon's 'PhotoStitch' which was supplied with the camera, then trimmed and adjusted with a photo editing program such as Adobe 'Photoshop Elements' .

A very basic panorama can be made without any sophisticated equipment or software just by standing on one spot and taking a series of digital photographs while turning around in a circle.

These can then be 'stitched' together automatically using a simple computer program and then viewed by using the horizontal scroll bar.

However, there may be problems at the joins between the individual shots, distortion, tilting and curved horizons, and the horizon may move up and down as the picture rotates.

If you do not have a tripod, then you must hold the camera as steady as possible and keep it horizontal in both directions throughout the full circle. Check first that you have a clear all round view without anything too close, then take your first shot.

Make note of an object at the right hand side of the viewfinder then turn to the right (clockwise) until the same object has moved to the left hand side of the viewfinder. Try to keep the camera vertically above the same spot on the ground by moving around in a small circle at the same time. This will improve the joins in the panorama.

Take another shot allowing about 20% overlap, then continue on round to the starting point taking between 8 and 12 shots in all to complete the picture.

If you have a clear horizon such as the sea, then try to keep it horizontal, and passing through the centre of the picture.

Download all the shots in sequence to your computer and stitch them together with a suitable program making sure you have chosen the '360°' setting. I would recommend starting with Canon's 'Photostitch' , which is supplied with many Canon digital cameras.

Your panorama can then be viewed in a panorama viewer such as Canon's '360° Viewer' , also supplied with Canon cameras.

A more professional approach is to use a tripod fitted with an adjustable rotating 360° head which can be levelled in all directions, such as the 'Manfrotto MN303' which is available for around £547 (€800), or the 'Panosaurus' for around £90 (€125)

A cheaper alternative is to adapt one of the rotating laser levelling sets which are often available from stores such as Dyas, Focus, Aldi or Lidl for around £15

The complete outfit shown here, included a tripod, a fully adjustable and calibrated 360° metal levelling base with a centre-spot spirit level, a removable laser level, and a carrying case. Try and avoid the plastic versions as they are not so rigid.

Absolutely no modifications are required, except to make a bracket for the camera.

The sturdy metal rotating head is fully adjustable with a centre-spot spirit level and a strong screw clamp for the camera bracket. It is extremely robust,.

The only thing you will have to do is to make a mounting bracket for your camera, which will be clamped in place of the laser level. This can simply be a piece of 90° rigid aluminium angle about 50mm long, as seen here in grey.

The vertical side will need to be packed out to about 20mm thick to fit in place of the original laser level.

The horizontal side will need to have a 6mm hole drilled for a standard tripod camera mounting screw, and the surface of the bracket should be covered with cork or felt to protect the camera. The camera screw hole must be positioned so that the HORIZONTAL axis of the lens lies EXACTLY over the central axis of the 360° head.

It is also a good idea to put coloured markers around the dial at 30° or 40° intervals depending whether you need 12 or 8 shots to complete the panorama.

A useful addition is to remove the 360° head locking screw, which is not required, and replace it with a longer handle such as this one from a kitchen tool, and fitted with an M6 screw.

You will now need to correct the 'parallax' error, (the effect you see when you hold up your finger in front of you, look at a distant object, and then close each eye in turn). This is done by setting the 'nodal point' of the camera by sliding the camera bracket backwards or forwards on the 360° head, and is not nearly as difficult as it sounds.

Without this correction, the individual pictures will not stitch together perfectly. Detailed instructions can be found in Paragraph 2 at www.duckware.com.

After the nodal point has been found, a mark should be made on the fixing clamp for your particular lens. With my Canon camera set to wide angle, the nodal point is correctly set when the front of the lens is 10mm in front of the axis of the tripod head.

The tripod should be on firm ground but not necessarily vertical. However, the rotating head MUST be horizontally aligned until it is perfect in all directions, by using the three independent adjustment wheels and the centre-spot spirit level.

The strength of the tripod is not too critical as any slight movement between shots should be taken into account by the stitching program. However, a good tripod will be needed if you intend to use long exposures.

Taking the photos:

If you are using the camera's 'program' setting (P), then the exposures will change as you turn towards the light. For better results you should try the 'Manual' setting (M) instead, and also experiment with the 'white balance'. When you are satisfied, use the same setting for all the shots. Start with the camera in 'landscape' mode, then experiment later with 'portrait' mode in order to obtain more height to the panorama.

First check that the complete 360° view is satisfactory using the viewfinder, then take all your shots in fairly quick succession. There is no need to use the LCD display. Allow enough time for each shot to load into the camera's memory card. Try and avoid fast moving objects such as cars, people walking close by, and rough seas etc.

If you want to include a moving object such as a train, take your first shot with it centred in the viewfinder. Then as soon as it moves out of the picture, take the remaing shots in the opposite direction to avoid including it again in the panorama.

There is a comprehensive website on Panoramic Photography at: www.duckware.com. There are also many panorama stitching programs available, and quite a few are free including the excellent 'Hugin Stitcher'