I've been working on a 500 megapixel Manhattan nighttime panorama for a while. Well, 498 megapixels to be exact: 33,584 x 14,836 pixels for a flattened 3.71GB file. At 360dpi this would yield an image 2.3 meters across. It is stitched from 50+ Canon 30D frames shot with Canon 85mm prime.

The shot involved some exposure bracketing on the warhouses - but I still got blown highlights. I did some limited focus bracketing as well: the foreground mooring posts are shot with a separate focus plane and added seamlessly in post. Needless to say the whole panorama is extremely labor-intensive.

Now one of the final things to determine is the cropping, and I'm torn. Here is the full image in all its 3% zoomed out (!) glory. The JPG/sRGB conversion seems to have resulted in colors which are a slightly warmer than the original ProPhoto file.

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I like how the warehouses and Brooklyn Bridge frame the skyline. But the warehouses are very light and blown, with prominent text which detract from the overall image.

Below a candidate crop. I have cut the warehouses, and some water from the bottom to avoid centered horizon. The shot still seems balanced ok - Twin Towers tribute beams bring some needed weight to the left edge of the frame, to offset the bridge on the right.

[attachmentid=7042]

Any input, critique, ideas about cropping (and otherwise) very welcome!


I have another similar project coming in August when I'm going to Hong Kong; the city has the most astonishing skyline I have ever seen, and I can't wait to shoot it again. I'm seriously considering doing a bracketed hundred+ megapixel panorama, one for highlights and one for shadows. I might also do some more elaborate foreground focus bracketing if I can find a worthy foreground subject.

I like your cropped version as teh warehouse was distracing. But I think you might also consider retouching out those dark pier elements in the right side foreground.

I think you were right to crop out the warehouses. However I'd go farther and crop out substantially more sky to get back to a panoramic format, as there isn't really anything of interest above the skyline.

Looks great. If you crop just the sky, you end up with a very compressed image space(much longer than most people would probably find natural to look at). You would also introduce the centered horizon problem again.

That said, if you want to regain the original's wide angle feel, which is a major design element IMO, just crop about 15% or so off of the top and bottom of the second(cropped) image.

To be totally honnest with you, I feel that both crops feel un-balanced composition wise.

I would either get rid of the bridge totally, or reshoot from very near or under the bridge.

Regards,
Bernard

I'm with Bernard here. Taking out the warehouse on the left was a good idea, but now the image seems lopsided. At least a part of that is that dark pier element in the right foreground...

Mike.