Panorama of Half Dome and Washington Column from Stoneman Meadow, Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley offers panoramic views that, in many cases, cannot be effectively captured with a single photograph (a frame of film or a single digital image capture). Stitching photographs together digitally offers a way to produce panoramic images using non-panoramic cameras. Below is an example of this technique, considering Half Dome and Washington Column viewed from Stoneman Meadow in Spring. A series of eight digital photographs were taken, with considerable overlap between each, and then stitched together using software to produce a panorama that spans 270 degrees along the horizontal plane:
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| Half Dome (center) and Washington Column (left), late afternoon in Spring, viewed from Curry Village, Yosemite National Park Image: 07152 |
As an byproduct of this technique, aside from the a “flat photograph” shown above, is a Quicktime Virtual Reality image as well, which the viewer can explore with tilt, pan and zoom controls. To see this QTVR version of the panoramic photo above, you will need Apple Quicktime installed. When you are ready to view the QTVR version, click here.
Nikon D100 and 17-35mm f/2.8 lens, multiple frames using identical exposure (exposure unrecorded), Yosemite National Park, California.
Keywords: Yosemite Valley photo, Half Dome, Washington Column, panoramic photo, stitching, QTVR, Quick Time Virtual Reality.
