This is the schooner Thomas E. Lannon, a 65 foot schooner built by friend and Captain Tom Ellis, this photograph was taken in 1998 during the Mayor’s Cup Race in Gloucester, MA. I shot it with the Fuji 617 aboard the press boat during the race. All the other photographers had gotten their pictures and were relaxing, which meant I could direct the skipper to take us where ever I wanted to go. So we sat in this spot, waiting for something to happen, which is how I shoot most things: waiting.
During a gallery talk for school children at the Cape Ann Historical Museum where I was showing my Gloucester work, a second grader said this picture felt like it was about life. Paraphrasing, she said: “The ship is coming out of the darkness and fog, moving into the sunlight for a moment, then heading back into fog and darkness.” This remains one of my favorite panoramas.
Shooting Panoramas with the iPhone4
Shot with my iPhone4, this extreme close up panorama required 11 source images so the stitching software would have all the information it needed. The overlap from image to image begins at around 50% on the right but increases to 70% (panning left) as the subject to camera distance decreases. Makes sense, no?
