Alaska Highway – Muncho Lake, British Columbia

Muncho Lake, part of the Muncho Lake Provincial Park is located at kilometre 681 (mile 423) of the Alaska Highway in northern British Columbia, Canada.

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Even on a cloudy day day, the views are still incredible.

The distinctly jade green colored lake, tinted green by minerals is about 12 km (7.5 mi) long and between 1 and 6 km wide, and is home to lake trout, arctic grayling, bull trout and whitefish. Muncho Lake is surrounded by Terminal Mountain Range to the west and the Sentinel Mountain Range to the east. The tallest mountains reach heights of more than 2,000 m (6,600 ft), and lake level is at an elevation of 820 m (2,690 ft). Many of the mountains were formed by folded layers of limestone and have broad alluvial fans created by powerful floods.

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Watching the sun go down from the dock at Muncho Lake. That water is Cold !

 

We camped at Strawberry Flats campground, August 4th 2013, and during the night, the northern lights put on a show !.

 

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Northern Lights over the dock at Muncho Lake; jade colored sky over a jade colored Muncho Lake. Nikon D700 with Nikon 17-35mm lens; 30 second exposure, f/2.8, ISO 1250.

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Northern Lights a glassy Muncho Lake. Nikon D700 with Nikon 17-35mm lens; 25 second exposure, f/2.8, ISO 800.

 

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Red and blue lights from the interior of the RV contrast with the green of the northern lights over Muncho Lake, August 4th, 2013. Nikon D700 with Nikon 17-35mm lens; 30 second exposure, f/2.8, ISO 1250.

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Northern Lights lighting up the the sky over a RV camper at Strawberry Flats campground, Muncho Lake, August 4th, 2013. Nikon D700 with Nikon 17-35mm lens; 20 second exposure, f/2.8, ISO 1600.

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Northern lights dance across the sky above a motor boat on the shore of Muncho Lake, August 4th, 2013. Nikon D700 with Nikon 17-35mm lens; 25 second exposure, f/2.8, ISO 1000.

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Northern lights over Strawberry Flats campground, Muncho Lake, August 4th 2013. Nikon D700 with Nikon 17-35mm lens; 25 second exposure, f/2.8, ISO 1600.

 

 

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Watching for Stone sheep !

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Who is watching who ?.

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Stone sheep crossing the Alaska highway.

Alaska Highway – Teslin, Yukon

Teslin is a small village located in the Yukon Territory at historical Mile 804 (Km. 1244) on the Alaska Highway, approximately halfway between Watson Lake and Whitehorse. During the Gold Rush of 1898 Teslin was a busy place as a stopover on the Canadian route to the Klondike, and the Hudson Bay Co. established a trading post for the villagers and those traveling the Klondike trail. In 2013, Teslin had a population of approximately 450 people, and facilities include an airport, museum, RCMP Detachment, school, community centre, health unit, post office, motels, restaurants, and a general store.

We passed through on August 5th, 2013.

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Scenic viewpoint on a hill overlooking the Teslin and the Nisutlin Bay Bridge

 

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Cartoon signs emphasizing the importance of Salmon to the region and its people

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The Nisutlin Bay Bridge in Teslin, an impressive seven-arch metal span, is the longest bridge on the Alaska Highway.

 

 

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A netted bird, soon to be banded as part of a Canadian Wildlife Service bird banding project

 

 

Sunset on Teslin Lake. Yes – it was buggy that night, and they were all over my camera lens too. Nikon D700, Nikon 14-24mm lens, 1/25th sec f/16, ISO 400. Click image to view it larger.

Sunset on Teslin Lake. A relatively bug-free photo, by blowing on the camera lens during the exposure. Nikon D700, Nikon 14-24mm lens, 1/25th sec f/16, ISO 400. Click image to view it larger.

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Sunset on Teslin Lake. A relatively bug-free photo, by blowing on the camera lens during the exposure. Nikon D700, Nikon 14-24mm lens, 1/100th sec f/16, ISO 400. Click the image to view it larger.

 

Sunset on Teslin Lake. A relatively bug-free photo, by blowing on the camera lens during the exposure. Nikon D700, Nikon 14-24mm lens, 1/100th sec f/16, ISO 400. Click the image to view it larger.

 

Alaska Highway – Klaune National Park and Reserve, Yukon

Kluane National Park and Reserve (est 1972) in the southwest corner of the Yukon Territory is 150 km west of Whitehorse. The nearest community, and the location of the Visitors Centre is Haines Junction, 32km south.

The Park covers an area of nearly 22,000 square kilometers of high mountains, icefields, glasciers, crystal clear lakes and spectacular wildlife (ground squirrels, caribou, moose, grizzly and black bears, Dall sheep and mountain goats), and includes Mount Logan (5959 m/19,545 ft) Canada’s highest peak.

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The long road to Klaune. Nikon D700 and Nikon 17-35mm lens.

Our visit to the Kluane National Park Visitor Centre in Haines Junction (August 6th, 2013) coincided with a VIP visit by the Governor General of Canada David Johnston and Yukon Commissioner Douglas George Phillips (talking to my kids).

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We camped at the Kathleen Lake Campground, and the next morning headed off to hike the King’s Throne Trail.

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Checking out the very Fresh bear POO !!

The King’s Throne hiking trail is a 15km hike with an elevation gain of 1250m (4101 ft).

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The King’s Throne is the plateau about half way up the mountain. The views from the Throne are of the surrounding valleys and Kathleen Lake are absolutely breathtaking.

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View of Kathleen Lake and mountains to the north.

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The King’s Throne, really a boulder strewn bowl created by glaciers.

 

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Heading down from the King’s Throne. The trail is steep with many loose rocks and boulders.

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The King’s Throne photographed from the day-use area on Kathleen Lake

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Shoreline view of Kathleen Lake, with the King’s Throne in the distance.

Alaska Highway – Tetsa River, British Columbia

If you have not yet driven on the Alaska Highway – I highly recommend it !!

If you have driven the Alaska Highway,  at least the part between Fort Nelson and Muncho Lake Provincial Park in northern British Columbia, you would have passed Tetsa River at Mile 358 or Kilometre 558.

There isn’t a whole lot to do here – except fill up on gas, and spend a whole lot of money on cinnamon buns and gas…

We drove down this road August 25, 2013 as part of a road trip extending from Whitehorse to Yellowknife. All photos on this page taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikon 17-35mm lens.

 

 

 

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Alaska Highway near Muncho Lake Provincial Park

 

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Rooms for rent – real cheap !

 

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Tesla River Lodge

 

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Eating the “world famous” Cinnamon buns at the Tesla River Lodge

 

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Stuffed moose, deer, wolf and why not buy a pair of PJ’s ?

 

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No Sniveling. yes – the gas is expensive !

Alaska Highway – Blackstone Territorial Park, Northwest Territories

Blackstone Territorial Park, is a small campground located approximately 115km north of Fort Liard, and 166km south of Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada. The park is located on the bank of the Liard River and is the starting/ending point for many paddle trips and river rafters from Nahanni National Park. From the shores of the Liard River one can see the very popular Nahanni Mountain Range.

These photos from a road trip from Yellowknife to Whitehorse road trip, passing through Blackstone Territorial Park on Aug 3rd-4th, 2013. All photos on this page taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikon 14-24mm lens.

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View of the Nahanni Mountain Range from the Visitors Centre

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Enjoying the view over the Liard River and Nahanni Mountain Range from the Visitors Centre

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Walking along fallen trees along the shoreline of the Liard River

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Typical view of the Liard Highway. Yes – it is a gravel road

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Photo Stock: Making Money For Stock agencies

Like many young, inexperienced and downright naive photographers, I dreamed of making a living from selling photos to stock agencies.

A few years ago, my dream took a step forward, with the “invitation” to submit photo to Getty Images. Had i made it big ?. Somehow, a photo editor at Getty Images had discovered my photos, and selected 25 to be submitted to the Getty Stock pool.

“Whoo Hoo – making money”. I said.

A couple of weeks later, another invitation arrived for 30 images, and a few months later, even more requests.

So, now two years later, and approximately  120 images submitted to Getty Images, Yes -I am making money selling stock images.

Check out my April 2014 Statement.

Three images sold !!! …for a whopping $63.61

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No, that big money isn’t for my pocket, as 80% goes to the stock agency.  My take-home pay is $12.66 which works out to enough money to buy breakfast, one breakfast for the month of April !.

20% to the photographer  – Really ?? .

 

Now – Time to wake up !. To make a living; food, housing, etc….that works out to a whole lot of photos that need to be sold to survive.

A colleague mentioned to me, what if the stock agency actually sold more of your images though didn’t tell you. Oh – now the plot thickens.

Ever heard of a stock agency that sells photos on your behalf, and doesn’t tell you ?. Does this Really happen ?

 

Leica 400mm f/6.8 Telyt

Back in 2009 I was given a box containing a Leica R4 film camera and a couple of Leica-R lenses (24mm f/2.8 Elmarit, 60mm f/2.8 Elmarit and a 400mm f/6.8 Telyt). At first I thought the 400mm lens was a telescope with a Leica-R lens mount. I’ve since learned that my first guess was close.

The lens is 38cm (15 inches) long, and only weights 1830 grams (4 lbs). Focusing is by push-pull and pushing in the focus release button. Since this lens had not been used for a long time, and had not been stored with a lens cap, the interior glass was coated with dust and the grease in the focus slides has dried out. Cost estimates for a CLA (Clean, Lubricate and Adjust) by Leica service centers ranged from $400 to $600. At the time, it didn’t seem worth the cost to repair the lens, and only be able to use it on a Leica-R film camera since it had been announced that there would be no more digital Leica-R cameras beyond the Leica R9 and DMR.

The first spark to use the Leica-R lenses on a digital cameras came with the discovery of Leitax, makers of lens mount adapters. With the adapters in hand, I was quickly (and easily) able to remove the Leica-R lens mount and attach a Leitax lens mount adapter for the Olympus E-330 that I had at the time. The 24mm and 60mm lenses were converted with Leitax (Leica-R to 4/3 lens mount) and performed superbly. For information on the specific Leitax adapter for the Leica 400mm f/6.8 lens – click here. Even though a Leitax adapter was available, using The Leica 400mm f/6.8 was on-hold due to the high cost of the lens CLA. It was the photographs by Sacramento bird photographer Douglas Herr that convinced me to take another look on restoring this lens. The second spark was discovering a post on MF lenses.com written by malchauDK  Servicing Leica Telyt-R 400-560mm/f6,8. Following the step-by-step instructions, including complete dis-assembly, the lens was cleaned, lubricated and re-assembled.

By the time I was done cleaning and lubricating, the lens was good as new. Thanks malchauDK. By this time, I had upgraded to a Nikon D700 and Leitax adapters were available to mount Leica-R lenses on Nikon bodies. On the D700, with the large clear viewfinder (especially compared to the tiny viewfinder on the Olympus E-330), focusing the Leica 400mm f/6.8 is a easy, though does take a little bit of practice.

The Leica 400mm f/6.8 lens was designed in 1968 as a handheld “snapshot” lens, and my particular lens was made in 1977. As mentioned, focus is by using a slider (manual focus), and it needs and adapter to work on modern digital cameras. Why – bother use an archaic lens designed 46 years ago when there are there are plenty of more compact and autofocus lenses available. Maybe, I am a sucker for old lenses being born the same year that this lens was designed. Really, it is such a superb lens that delivers incredible quality.

 

Pros

1)    Size and weight. Although it is a relatively long lens (38cm long), it is light and weights only 1830 grams.

2)    Portability. The lens unscrews into two pieces that can be stored in a Pelican-type case, or in a PVC-tube.

3)    Durable – easy to disassemble, no electronics or moving parts – nothing to break.

4)    With adapters, usable on Nikon, Canon, Sony and smaller format cameras (4/3, micro 4/3 and Fuji-X)

5)    Price. Used Leica 400mm f/6.8 lenses are available for $400 to $800.

Downsides

6)    Manual focus, not always suitable for moving subjects.

7)    Slow minimum aperture results in a darkened viewfinder.

8)    Lens design. The lens has only 2 glass elements so there is inevitable curvature of the focus plane. Details in the center of the image are in focus, but off-centered objects are noticeably out-of focus. Even with larger apertures this is still noticeable.

 

Click on the photos below – and decide if this is a lens for you.

I love it.

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The NWT is on Fire !

At last count there are 130 forest fires in the Northwest Territories.

Check out the image below to see where they are.Canada.A2014183.1845.1km Satellite image from July 2, 2014.

Click here to go to the NASA webpage.

 

A couple of photos of Canadair Cl-215 water bombers that are being used to fight some of the forest fires, and a Beechcraft ‘Birddog’ airplanes for fire attach planning and flight safety.  The photos were taken in Yellowknife a couple of years ago while putting out a fire at the City landfill. All photos taken using a Nikon D700 and manual focus Leica Telyt 400mm f/6.8 lens with a Leitax adapter.

 

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Create a Neutral Density Filter for Under $10

Create a Neutral Density Filter for Under $10

For those that follow this Blog – You know that I like to modify and build custom tools for my camera gear.

A couple of years ago I fell in love with the look of long exposure black and white images that are both in focus and anything moving like waves on beach, waterfalls are gently blurred. The photos I’d seem were all taken with a LEE “Big Stopper” 10 stop Neutral Density (ND) filter all taken in the middle of the day!. Neutral Density filters reduce the amount of light entering the camera lens, making it possible to get long exposure times needed to blur moving water, clouds and my favorite, boats and airplanes tied up to a dock. ND filters are made by several manufactures; such as B+W, Cokin, Hoya, Singh-ray and LEE in either a circular screw-in filter, or as a sheet of glass that slides into a holder. ND filters are not cheap, and good quality ND filters can cost a couple hundred dollars.

Several bloggers have described how to use welding glass as a ND filter to achieve a similar effect by blocking out light so you can shoot day time long exposures. Using welding glass as a ND Filter is not a new idea. So – keen to do some experimenting, I bought a piece of 4¼ x 3¼ welding glass from a local hardware store for $10.

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If you want to use welding glass as a ND filter, there are a couple of things to know.

1) Welder’s glass filters come in different strengths from 6 stop to 13 stops. Other grades of welding glass are:

#8 = 10 stops,
#9 = 11.5 stops
#10 = 13 stops

Choose a strength depending upon your needs, remembering that a #10 needs much more light than a #9 filter. The welding glass that I got was a #10 grade and it is tinted a dark shade of green.

2) Welding glass filters are designed to fit standard size welding masks, not photography (Cokin and LEE) filter holders. With typical exposure times between 2 to 5 minutes, you don’t want to be hand holding the filter. One way to attach the filter to lens is with thick rubber bands, around the sides of the welding glass and around the lens hood. Depending on your lens hood, it might be easier to flip the lens hood backwards so the petals are facing towards the back of the camera (typical storage position) and hook the rubber bands around two petals. Or, if this doesn’t work, some folks wrap the elastic bands around the back of the camera.

Welding glass filter held in-place with rubber bands.

Welding glass filter held in-place with rubber bands.

3) Welding glass filters are very reflective and any light leaks will cause lens flare (streaking or bright spots). To avoid this problem, simply attach the filter to the lens using one of the methods described above, then drape a dark light-proof cloth over the camera, lens, and the corners of the welder’s glass to prevent light from leaking in through the crack in between your lens and the glass.

Light-proof cloth on camera, lens a welding glass to reduce reflections.

Light-proof cloth on camera, lens a welding glass to reduce reflections.

4) The fourth problem with using Welding glass filters is getting rid of the green hue. We will show you how to get rid of this in post-processing below.

What you need to make long exposure images

• Digital camera with the ability to shoot in bulb mode
• Camera lens – any lens will work, except ultra wide angle and fisheye lenses.
• Welding glass filter
• Thick rubber bands – I use the thick blue rubber bands from produce
• Light-proof cloth –
• Tripod
• Remote shutter release. Since the maximum exposure time on most digital cameras is 30 seconds, adding a remote shutter release will allow you to get an exposure time longer than 30 seconds.
• Viewfinder cover for camera – to prevent stray light from entering
• Stop watch to time the exposure length.

Taking long exposures with a Welding Glass Filter

1) Find a scene with movement in it, like water, clouds, or people.
2) Set your camera up on your tripod and compose your shot. After adding the welding glass, you will not be able to see out of your viewfinder.
3) Set camera to manual exposure, RAW, auto white balance and autofocus off. RAW setting allows more colour adjustment during post-processing (see notes below). Focus, then set autofocus off to prevent the lens from searching for focus once the welding filter is attached. Set lens aperture to f/10-13, and lowest normal ISO.
4) Take a picture. View the image on the viewfinder and adjust exposure time if required.
5) Attach the welding glass to your lens (see notes above).
6) Cover the lens and the welding glass, and close the viewfinder eyepiece to help prevent light leaking into your lens (see notes above).
7) Attach the remote shutter release.
8) Set the camera to bulb mode, and estimate exposure based on the grade of the welding glass filter, and adding the appropriate exposure time to the previous exposure time. For example, if you are using a 10 stop ND and the first exposure was 1/125s second, then set the new exposure to 8 seconds. See the exposure chart below.

chart

 

9) Take a picture using estimate exposure time. Depending on your shutter release, you might have to hold the shutter release the whole time. My shutter release, a Nikon MC-30 has a lock switch so I can lock the shutter open for long exposures.
10) View the photo on the LCD. Do not worry about the greenish color – that will be removed later. If the image is too light, add 30 seconds to the previous exposure time, of too dark – remove 30 seconds from the exposure time. There is no exact science to how long your exposure should be, but I’ve found that exposures in the 3 to 5 minute range work well.
11) Repeat if necessary to get correct exposure.

 

RAW image straight out of camera with green cast. ,

RAW image straight out of camera with green cast.

Post Processing: Removing the Green Color Cast

To remove the tint made by the welding glass, you can either turn it into a black and white image, or do some extra steps to re-create the colors in Photoshop or Lightroom. The reason for shooting in RAW is that White Balance can be modified in Lightroom and Photoshop.

To convert the images to Black & White
This is the easiest. Simply import the RAW files into Lightroom and Convert the image to black and white. Tweek the image as necessary to remove dust spots, adjust exposure, adjust contrast, sharpness, and highlights using the sliders in the basic panel.

 

Image converted to black & white.

Image converted to black & white.

To re-create Color:
To re-create colors is a lot more work, and these are the settings that I use in Lighroom. (thanks to DazJW https://www.flickr.com/groups/weldingmaskglassfilter/discuss/72157626691948810/).

 

Colors re-created in Lightroom using adjustments listed below.

Colors re-created in Lightroom using adjustments listed below.

Basic
-White Balance
–Temp: 4900k
–Tint: +150
-Tone
–Contrast: +43
–Shadows: +21
-Presence
–Vibrance: +15
–Saturation: +15

Split Toning
-Highlights
–Hue: 291
–Saturation: 15
-Shadows
–Hue: 291
–Saturation: 15

Camera Calibration
-Process: 2012
-Profile: Adobe Standard
-Shadows, Tint: +2
-Red Primary, Saturation: +19

Save ….
Another way is to create Custom Camera Profile. I did not use this technique, though you can follow the links below to see how it is done.
Fifteen Kilobytes of Fame <http://15kb.blogspot.ca/> Saturday, 7 May 2011 Welding Glass and White Balance. <http://15kb.blogspot.ca/2011/05/welding-glass-and-white-balance.html>

DIY Photography <http://www.diyphotography.net/> Hacking Photography – one Picture at a time.

 

Final image using Lightroom tweeks, and custom white balance.

Final image using Lightroom tweeks, and custom white balance.

 

Summary
For $10, a welding glass filter used as a neutral density filter is a lot of fun, and goes a long way to re-creating the look of long exposure photographs taken during the mid-day sun. Are the results as good as a Pro-quality neutral density filter ? – probably not, though with a little bit of effort and a few precautions, the results are superb.

Twin Pine Hill – one of best places to enjoy a scenic view of Old town Yellowknife, and Great Slave Lake.

Twin Pine Hill – one of best places to enjoy a scenic view of Old town Yellowknife, and Great Slave Lake. These 360 degree panoramas were created from photos taken on May 18th, 2014.

In this view, Old Town is in the distance, to the north. Franklin Avenue (center of photo) separates Peace River Flats and Willow Flats (right side) and continues to Latham Island and N’Dilo in the distance. If you look carefully, the melted remnants of the Snow Castle can be seen, along with house boaters commuting across the ice, and a even a kite skier behind the houseboats.

Click on the image for a larger view.

To view the 360 degree animation. Click Here. This requires the QuickTime Player. Click the icon on the upper right corner of the animation to get a full view. Depending on network speed, the image may take a moment to load.

 

In this image, along the ridge to the southeast of the previous photo, Old Town (Willow Flats) is on the far left. The road winding up the hill is School Draw, an the remains of a recently burnt house can be seen in the center part of the photo.

Click on the image for a larger view.

To view the 360 degree animation. Click Here. This requires the QuickTime Player. Click the icon on the upper right corner of the animation to get a full view. Depending on network speed, the image may take a moment to load.

These panoramas were created by combining 5 photos (4 photos at 90 degrees to each other, and the fifth taken straight down at my feet to fill in a gap), using a Nikon D700, a ‘shaved’ Samyang 8mm lens with a custom built panorama head see Making Panoramas with a DIY Panoramic Head and a Monopole. The hardest part of making these panoramas was photoshopping out all the garbage and smashed bottles…