Voices in the Park, a fund-raising concert to benefit the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, was held on September 15, 2012 at Stanley Park in Vancouver BC.

I volunteered my services to create a gigapixel photo of the crowd. Concert goers will be able to find themselves and their friends, and will also be able to donate to the Sarah McLachlan School of Music.

Special thanks to Isaac Kinakin of Scene Ideas for providing the help and assistance, and especially to Michelle Noble of brandLIVE for making this gigapixel project possible.

I was asked by Kristy Springer of Radarworks to shoot a gigapixel photo of Microsoft’s Private Company Meeting held at Key Arena in Seattle, WA on September 13, 2012. The gigapixel photo was designed as a game for the employees to find a Windows Phone in the crowd.

The shoot was difficult because of the many limitations and restrictions imposed by the production company contracted to stage the event. For a company meeting, I assumed that lighting would be good and bright. However, the venue was lit much darker than a typical concert. There was insufficient lighting to shoot a gigapixel photo. The camera couldn’t find any contrast to focus properly in certain areas. To solve the problem, I manually triggered the camera as the GigaPan EPIC Pro moved from one point to another. In spite of the difficulties, the image turned out well. Radaworks and Microsoft were pleased with the final image.

Since it was a private event, I wasn’t allowed by Microsoft to post the image on this site.

I always want to push the limits of technology and create something no one has done yet using existing tools. Is it technically possible to shoot a gigapixel photo from the air using a robotic panohead such as the GigaPan or the Clauss Rodeon VR? This seems to be difficult to achieve because of so many factors, primarily the stability of the robotic panoramic head on a hovering helicopter and the time to complete a single panorama.

To get a feel of the process, I chartered a helicopter from Helijet on Aug 26, 2012. I spoke with Capt. Erin Johnstone who was very cool about the idea after explaining to her my objectives. For the 60 minute test flight, I just shot handheld using a Canon 5D MKII with an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. We flew over various spots of Vancouver. During the flight, Erin explained to me the flight restrictions over Vancouver such the the minimum hovering height, flight boundaries, etc. – info that I have to consider if and when I go ahead with the full gigapixel project.

 

Here are the test panoramas from the flight. Each panorama is made up of about 30 individual photos stitched together. As you can see, there are many issues. But as a test, the images came out well considering that this was my very first attempt.

AT&T wanted to demonstrate its significant commitment to the Seattle community. Teaming up with the Sounders FC, Radarworks developed a season-long promotion offering exclusive value to the Sounders FC’s passionate fan base. To amplify brand engagement, Radarworks commissioned Ronnie Miranda to shoot a gigapixel panorama for the AT&T Scarves Up! Facebook gaming app.

Seattle Sounders vs Colorado Rapids on April 14, 2012 at Century Link Field, Seattle, WA. The 6,447 megapixel image is composed of 600 photos and was captured using a Canon 5D MKII, Canon EF 300mm f/4 L IS USM lens and the Clauss Rodeon VR Station ST.