Skeleton Canyon Panorama, Making the Big Picture

On each hike with the Portal Rodeo Hiking Club, time is spent gathering photographs for a large format panorama as part of the documentation process.  The idea is to create a "big picture" view from an overlook or other scenic vista somewhere along the hike that can be translated to a reader.  In the 1500 square miles of the bootheel the views and vistas are immense and it is not difficult to find vistas where a person can easily see over 50 miles.  Coupled with the fact that humans have an approximately 180 degree field of view capturing an image that adequately presents this information can be quite a task.  Fortunately, Microsoft has a tool that helps create such an image.  Photosynth, allows the creation of large multi-image panoramas or Photosynths that translate what was seen on the hike into a format that can be enjoyed by others.




Here is another example of an aerial photosynth of Paramore Crater in southeastern Arizona created from a light sport weight shift control aircraft.