Category Archives: Travels

Jackson Hole experienced its greatest snow accumulation ever this year, and we were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

I’m posting these images super large this time so you can check out the details. (I’ll add GPS info as soon as I get a chance.)

The images in the panoramas were shot hand held using a Nikon D3 and the cheapest Nikkor lens – less than 100 bucks when I bought it. Stitching with the amazing AutoPano Pro.

Ben takes in the awesome sight.

The beautiful Amangani Resort in Jackson Hole. This is actually a 6-image panoramic image, shot with my trusty Nikkor 50 mm and stitched with AutoPano Pro.

While it may not be my best photo ever, this one has the distinction of occupying more disk space than any other. Comprised of 37 hand-held frames, shot with my cheapest lens due to it’s low distortion, and stitched together with the mind-blowing AutoPano Pro. The original is more than 24,000 pixels wide. The 16-bit image is just under 2 gigabytes in size. The image below links to a 6,000 pixel wide version. Get a 12,000 pixel-wide version here. (14 megabytes.)

What will I do differently next time? First, I’ll use a smaller aperture. If I had, the area behind Kelly and Ben (see her there?) would be in focus. Second, and quite surprisingly, I will not use a polarizer. The amount of filter’s effect changes with the rotational angle, so that the parts of the sky perpendicular to the rays of the sun are too dark, and the non-uniformity of the sky color in the resulting stitch is a pain to deal with. I think it looks weird, but I haven’t found a reasonable way to smooth that out without producing obviously manipulated results. Suggestions? I suppose could paste in some clouds, but that would be cheating — wouldn’t it?

By the way, if you’re at all interested in high-resolution panoramic imagery, check out this jaw-dropping 50 gigabyte image. I want to go to Vienna — now. Wow!

Here is my second attempt at recreating one of Ansel Adams’ masterpieces.

A few more of our favorite shots from our fabulous trip to Jackson Hole. As always, hover over the images to learn a little about them.

A faithful reader points out that in this shot of the canyon, the mountain on the left (Mt. Owen) is 6000 vertical feet above Kelly and the peak is just one mile as the bird flies from that spot — deeper than the Grand Canyon!