Mike's Super Panos
Mike has become obsessed with mastering the art of detail. He believes that by creating images with more detail than a single image could ever capture he can give a new depth to his landscapes grating viewers an immersive and lasting experience like never before. His "Super Panos" are images composed of up to 300+ RAW photographs taken with telephoto lenses that would never be able to capture the images he creates in a single shot. By using long lenses Mike is able to capture higher level of detail, unique compression and minimal if any distortion throughout his images. This also allows his prints to have indicate details that would be a blur in any other image.
When complete these image files can be up to 42GB+ (over 1000x's the size of a normal RAW image) and can take over 20 hours to assemble and edit. It can easily take up to 2 hours sometimes to just finish photographing a scene before he can move on. His gear includes a 15lb large format tripod which he carries for miles to some of the most remote locations in order to ensure his camera is steady and his images will be tac sharp even if he were to be photographing in a storm.
For all of Mike's Super Panos, if even one image has an error and doesn't look like the rest, the entire panorama could be ruined and he wouldn't know until he is back at my computer.
These are not your average photograph, these are hand made images of some of the most beautiful places in the world.
When complete these image files can be up to 42GB+ (over 1000x's the size of a normal RAW image) and can take over 20 hours to assemble and edit. It can easily take up to 2 hours sometimes to just finish photographing a scene before he can move on. His gear includes a 15lb large format tripod which he carries for miles to some of the most remote locations in order to ensure his camera is steady and his images will be tac sharp even if he were to be photographing in a storm.
For all of Mike's Super Panos, if even one image has an error and doesn't look like the rest, the entire panorama could be ruined and he wouldn't know until he is back at my computer.
These are not your average photograph, these are hand made images of some of the most beautiful places in the world.
Details about this image
- File Size: 42.48 GB
- Native Image Size:
Pixels: 58642 X 31309
Inches: 195.473" X 104.363"
Resolution: 300
- Number of horizontal panoramas layered vertically: 9
- Number of RAW images used to stitch this together: 397
- With 1.83 Billion pixels in this image, it has over 221 X's the number of pixels in a 4k TV
- Equipment used: D800E w/ Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 @ 200mm
- Camera Settings: 1/35 @ f/22 ISO 100
Photographing this image
This image is currently on of my largest panoramas. With almost 2 billion pixels to examine I am constantly finding new details that I love to look at, such as the cabin by the river, the giant trees on the horizon, and even a few blurs of birds flying over the furthest trees. This file was not an easy one. I had to actually assemble it in 9 separate panoramas and then stitch those together individually. It took several attempts to get it right as the file itself is so large it can easily cause a computer to crash if your try to move too quickly. This image took a lot of time, patience and attention to detail throughout the entire process.
Capturing the images for this panorama was a particular challenge. As you could imagine, taking 397 images precisely spaced apart takes quite a bit time and because of that, things change throughout the image a lot. Clouds move, lighting changes, shadows move, wind blows, trees shake, and so much more. I spend over an hour capturing the images making sure each one was in focus and lit similarly to the previous image. If the sun comes out from behind a cloud, I'd have to wait until it tucked back into the right place.
For all of my Super Panoramas, if even one image has an error and doesn't look like the rest, the entire panorama could be ruined and I wouldn't even know until I am back at my computer. These are not your average photograph, these are hand made.
- File Size: 42.48 GB
- Native Image Size:
Pixels: 58642 X 31309
Inches: 195.473" X 104.363"
Resolution: 300
- Number of horizontal panoramas layered vertically: 9
- Number of RAW images used to stitch this together: 397
- With 1.83 Billion pixels in this image, it has over 221 X's the number of pixels in a 4k TV
- Equipment used: D800E w/ Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 @ 200mm
- Camera Settings: 1/35 @ f/22 ISO 100
Photographing this image
This image is currently on of my largest panoramas. With almost 2 billion pixels to examine I am constantly finding new details that I love to look at, such as the cabin by the river, the giant trees on the horizon, and even a few blurs of birds flying over the furthest trees. This file was not an easy one. I had to actually assemble it in 9 separate panoramas and then stitch those together individually. It took several attempts to get it right as the file itself is so large it can easily cause a computer to crash if your try to move too quickly. This image took a lot of time, patience and attention to detail throughout the entire process.
Capturing the images for this panorama was a particular challenge. As you could imagine, taking 397 images precisely spaced apart takes quite a bit time and because of that, things change throughout the image a lot. Clouds move, lighting changes, shadows move, wind blows, trees shake, and so much more. I spend over an hour capturing the images making sure each one was in focus and lit similarly to the previous image. If the sun comes out from behind a cloud, I'd have to wait until it tucked back into the right place.
For all of my Super Panoramas, if even one image has an error and doesn't look like the rest, the entire panorama could be ruined and I wouldn't even know until I am back at my computer. These are not your average photograph, these are hand made.