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This is a big gigapan I shot on Saturday evening. It's a huge Gigapan and took 16 hours to stitch. 47 images wide X 23 images tall totaling 1081 images.
I missed some of the balloons on the first pass so I backed the unit up and reshot a section. The lighter background in the sky was caused when I readjusted the exposure during shooting. The sun was setting fast and light was fading. EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival - Plano, Texas - September 19 - 21, 2008 http://www.planoballoonfest.org/fest-facts.html Enjoy the "Lofty Visions" as 70 magnificent, colorful, hot air balloons fill the skies over Plano Friday at 6:00pm, Saturday at 7:00am and 6:00pm, and Sunday at 7:00am and 6:00pm (weather permitting). Fun for all ages, are the Special Shapes that attend the festival. This year, the special shapes include: High Jack, Miss Daisy, Pandy the Panda, Oggy the Dragon, and Woodrow C. Greenleaf. |
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Addison Oktoberfest 2008 - September 18 - 21, 2008
I shot this yesterday evening on the first day of Addison's Octoberfest. It was still a little early so not many people are around. The guy in the suit with all the medals showed up after I shot the GigaPan so I backed the robot up and reshot him. My friend Joe has a new GigaPan also and we set his up and shot as well. You can see his gigapan unit on the far left. This GigaPan is 7 images high and 63 images wide, 441 total images. Tomorrow I shoot a Balloon Festival, so check back in a few days. Please bookmark this image if you like it or leave me a comment. http://www.addisontexas.net/events/Oktoberfest/ More than 60,000 fans of polka, German food and Paulaner Bier will gather in Addison?s spectacular Addison Circle Park for four days of music, folk dancing, sing-alongs, children?s entertainment and more. Addison?s four-day, authentic German festival is one of the largest Oktoberfest festivals outside of the famed Munich celebration. |
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What: 2008 State Fair of Texas
http://www.bigtex.com When: Sept. 26 - Oct. 19 Where: Fair Park, a 277-acre entertainment and recreation complex owned by the City of Dallas, is located two miles east of downtown. The park is the year-round home of the Music Hall, Cotton Bowl and eight museums. Fair Park is a National Historic Landmark and boasts the largest collection of art deco exposition buildings in the United States. Big Tex Big Tex made his debut at the 1952 State Fair of Texas. Wearing size 70 boots and a 75-gallon hat, Tex towered 52' above wide-eyed visitors. His denim jeans and plaid shirt were donated by the H. D. Lee Company of Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Cosmetic surgery the following year straightened his nose, corrected a lascivious wink and allowed him to talk. From The Great State Fair of Texas – An Illustrated History, by Nancy Wiley. HISTORY: The first State Fair to be held in Dallas was presented at this location in 1886. Fair Park was the site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition which ran for six months and attracted 6 million people. An extended 31-day Fair in 1986 celebrated the Texas Sesquicentennial and drew almost 4 million visitors. |
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This has to be one of the nicest shots I have gotten so far. In it you can see all the way around the lagoon of Universal's Islands of Adventure Theme Park in Orlando, Fl. It was taken from the highest level of 'The Olive', which is part of the Popeye raging river ride. If you look down you will see segments of the rafts going by. Too bad I couldn't get a whole tube in since they moved by before the columns were shot. Anyway, starting at the left and moving right: First is a bit of the Jurassic Park themed area. The crane in the background and the grey wall are there for the new Harry Potter area that is being built and is supposed to open later in 2010. Given the amazing work done in the rest of the park, I can't wait to see what the new area holds, it is bound to be amazing! Next is the 'Lost Continent section of the park where you can see the water side of the Mythos Restaurant. Kind of behind it you can see another crane and the beginnings of a new roller coaster. The new coaster is actually in the Universal Studios Theme Park next door. To the left of that is Seuss Landing, a whimsical tribute to the renowned childrens author. Then comes Marvel Super Hero Island where you can see the green Hulk Roller Coaster and the twin towers of Dr. Doom's Fear Fall. It took a while to get that section since I had to wait for the coaster cars and the tower rides to launch, but it turned out pretty well I think. You can even see some kid screaming as Dr. Doom extracts fear so he can defeat the Fantastic Four. Of all the parks in the Orlando area, Islands of Adventure is my favorite adreneline park. The coasters are super fun, the attractions are amazing in their clever use of technology and the design of the themed areas should win multiple awards. A great park to fill a day with! |
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This part of the park is filled with shops and food and a fun, lively design, but is also home to two of the parks best water rides, including Dudley Do-Right's Ripshaw Falls (off to the left), a log ride type attraction but with entertaining differences and a HUGE plunge at the end, and Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges (down the street past the Popeye statue), a tube 'raging river' type ride unlike any you have ever been on! Having been on dozens of 'raging rivers' over the years I can say that Islands of Adventures is the best out there. You go literally raging down hugely steep white water runs. Nobody gets off dry. Wear a swimsuit or bring a rain poncho. Not much more to say about this area of the park, other than it is a lot of fun to look at and is a perfect place to take lots of pictures. |
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This is a small gigapan I shot on saturday morning. I have another from saturday evening with thousands of people in it. It's a huge GigaPan and is taking a very long time to stitch.
EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival - Plano, Texas - September 19 - 21, 2008 http://www.planoballoonfest.org/fest-facts.html Enjoy the ?Lofty Visions? as 70 magnificent, colorful, hot air balloons fill the skies over Plano Friday at 6:00pm, Saturday at 7:00am and 6:00pm, and Sunday at 7:00am and 6:00pm (weather permitting). Fun for all ages, are the Special Shapes that attend the festival. This year, the special shapes include:High Jack, Miss Daisy, Pandy the Panda, Oggy the Dragon, and Woodrow C. Greenleaf. |
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I don't know if the designers of this area got any awards, but they should have! Seuss Landing is mostly for the kids, but the whimsical take on the work of Dr. Seuss's books will make anyone feel younger! You might notice the sign dedicating the area to Theodor Geisel and his wife, that is because she was actively involved in its development, making sure it kept to her husband's vision and ideals, and it does! While I love the design of the area, I am always struck by the botanical aspects of it. I heard that the designers had to search far and wide to find trees that bended and looped like a Seuss tree should. A top notch job and one worth going out of you way to see! |
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I don't think this attraction gets enough credit. As you can see, the artists have designed a remarkably creative atmosphere harkening back to the days of the Lost City of Atlantis, with Poseidon's crumbled immense statue littering the entrance path. The attraction is not a ride, and not a show, but an immersive experience where guests are escorted by a guide through some intense, special effects filled areas as an evil must be defeated. In the final area the special effects team went out of their way to create an incedible battle sequence (suitable for young children of course) that has Poseidon fighting for control of Earth. If you visit in the summer, this is an excellent attraction to cool off in as the entire area is air conditioned. Oh, my favorite part? The water vortex! You have to see it to beleive it! |
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The popular ski resort near the idyllic Spitzingsee lake, around 70 km south of Munich offers wonderful winter sporting activities. The area has now been reinstated as one of the top 5 ski resorts in Germany. A modern artificial snow system and the exposed heights of 980–1,693 m above sea level mean that snow is guaranteed throughout the season. 23 km of slopes, 2 modern 4-seater chairlifts with protective covers, 1 gondola and 13 drag lifts ensure skiing pleasure for everyone. The fun park on the Unteren Firstalm is considered an eldorado by snowboarders, including pros, who use it as a training ground.
This is a 360° panorama on the slope at Stuempfling, Spitzingsee, in the Bavarian Alps. Best viewed with Google Earth. There are 2 other panoramas from the Ski Resort, one further up at the Restaurant http://share.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=13442 and the other one further down the slope http://share.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=13448 |
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Ferguson canyon is a nice cool climbing spot just outside of Salt Lake City. A great place to go for a few quick routes after work.
I ended up in the gigapan 4 times. That's me on the right side, once sitting down and then 3 different places climbing. |