How I Made a 1,474-Megapixel Photo During President Obama’s Inaugural Address
January 22, 2009 by David Bergman
Update: ** CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE PRINTS OF MY INAUGURATION PHOTO. **
Wow.
I covered my first inauguration and what an inauguration it was.
Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States in a ceremony on the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC.
Before Tuesday, I had photographed five presidents and covered big events including the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and concerts like Live 8 and Live Earth.
But this one was the biggest.
It deserved a big photo.
I made a panoramic image showing the nearly two million people who watched President Obama’s inaugural address. To do so, I clamped a Gigapan Imager to the railing on the north media platform about six feet from my photo position. The Gigapan is a robotic camera mount that allows me to take multiple images and stitch them together, creating a massive image file.
My final photo is made up of 220 Canon G10 images and the file is 59,783 X 24,658 pixels or 1,474 megapixels. It took more than six and a half hours for the Gigapan software to put together all of the images on my Macbook Pro and the completed TIF file is almost 2 gigabytes.
Use the controls to zoom and pan around the photo. You can also double click to zoom in and double click again to get even closer.
(If you’re reading this via email or RSS, you may not see the embedded flash player above. Click here to view it on my blog. Additionally, you can view the panorama full screen or on the Gigapan site.)
Since people move around slightly as the photos are taken, there are a few small glitches in the image. The software did a fantastic job, however, and there is amazing detail when you zoom all the way in.
I’ve only just started to explore the photo myself, but I found Yo-Yo Ma taking a picture with his iPhone.
If there’s enough interest, I might make the image available as a large print. I’ll write another post in the next few days showing some of the more traditional photos I shot, but they’re only a “measly” 12-megapixels each.
Update: ** CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE PRINTS OF MY INAUGURATION PHOTO. **
This is truley amazing!
Wow! This is AMAZING!! AND – I just found my mom and I huddled in the crowd! Proof that we were witness to one of the greatest moments in American history! (Well, at least that Mom was. I seem to be hiding behind someone’s head…)
Thank you so much for this. It is truly incredible!
Its a snapshot. It has bad lighting. Lots of people and thats about it. What is so great about this? I looked at the giga site and all the pictures are mid day snapshots. Not very impressive if you ask me.
Shoot a raging volcano at sunset and you would have a nice picture. Im not sure what all the dog and pony show is about this obama guy anyway.
WOW This is great you have out done yourself
I wonder if anyone did something similar at the inauguration with a more robust motorized head that can hold a digital SLR with a really high quality lens, like AutoMate from the The Gadget Works (http://www.thegadgetworks.com). I mean this is nice, but the image quality is nowhere what you could have gotten with a better rig.
Tag yourself in the Obama Inaugural Address http://tinyurl.com/davidbergmanobamaTAG
Let’s see if it works.
Bests
Andrew Urena.
Wow.. awesome photograph.. you can really zoom in and see the individual faces… amazing… thanks for sharing!
This is probably one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much for sharing! It is almost like being there, only I’m not cold!
As one totally ignorant of modern photography, digital images, and all other technology used for this photo, I am truly ASTONISHED! This photo is more than impressive. Photographer + technology=a brilliant work!
Great!!!
David, I captured a video zoom from Yo-Yo Ma out to the full image — may I post it on tuaw.com, along with a link to your site?
well, I _finally_ found Yo-Yo Ma, after searching and searching — but only after someone pointed him out!
what a fantastic photo!
just think about ALL those cameras out there (check out the hardware in the photog tower with the straight-on viewpoint!), all capturing mostly the same images. except this one.
I’m surprised to see that the Gigapan is <$300 – I thought such a rig would be extremely expensive.
This is fabulous- photo of the Year!. I featured your link on my blog
The Central Virginia Progressive- The DAVISReport http;//www.eileendavis.blogspotcom
David, a very cool photo of the inauguration. I was checking out the gigaPan site after hearing about the unit on the This Week In Photography podcast, which is how I ran into your photo. In fact, I did end up purchasing a gigaPan stitcher which I hope to use in the making of HDRI panoramas.
I am curious if you shot the inaugural panorama using raw or jpg?
Dan
Wow that is magnificant and I really can’t believe you achieved such an amazing image with the Canon G10 (I got one myself before Christmas)
I have to congratulate you on this – well done.
Helen (Ireland)
I found us!! I can’t believe it although one of us had a yellow jacket on so it was easy, but this has just blown my mind out of my head!! Thank you for all your work, this is amazing, I agree that if you could make this possible for a print many of us who were there and many who weren’t would buy this. Take care, JoAnn
Hey, wait. Does Aretha Franklin have a beard ?
H.
I really really really really love this so much! I plead you to print it and make it available as some kind of poster that can be assembled into a cylinder if you want, so you can see the whole thing around you, or hung on the wall.. AND i think you should also put it on a Facebook Fan page and let people tag themselves in the photos somehow.Then you can gather all the historical information as well… I mean WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWWOWOW!
That is just… spectacular. Wow.
I wasn’t sure why I should go, but when every bridge from my state into the Inauguration was closed to “civilian traffic” in the name of “national security”, I knew I had to be there. I could never capture the vastness of your photo. But now perhaps your viewers can capture the feeling of standing there with 500,000 people stretching 1 mile to my right, and 500,000 more going back to the Lincoln Memorial on my left, and everyone shouting and applauding to the same message of hope as I. An end to 8 horrible, destructive years.
–jerry
McLean, VA
This is an historic photo comparable to few others I have seen of the inaugural. I found a clear image of myself and my partner Clayton Lewis. Thanks for recording this moment in history.
Tom Rasmussen
Seattle City Council
Aretha Franklin has 2 chin’s (and no, I’m NOT calling her fat) and one of them has a Goatee!!!! (find the big grey bow/hat behind obama and you find it, and the floating hat).
On level below president, there is a woman(purple hoodie, grey pants) that has 3 legs but no head.
Amazing that you can do this with a $300 device and a simply point and shoot digital camera you might already own!
This is some serious photo. The details are amazing and my eyes definitely got enough candy/spying today
Thanks for sharing!
Awesome picture! Saw this on digg.
Question: why not use microsoft’s Seadragon for this? This is pretty much the kind of thing it’s perfect for!
Hey so I thought this was kinda odd.
What exactly is going on with the image of Aretha Franklin? (4/5 people directly above President Bush wearing a the grey bow hat thing)
There is an image of a black male right over her, but I cant see where this man came from (blue scarf, goatee).
Awesome image, thanks for sharin’. Let me know where that guy is anywhere else in the photo…
Strange “thing” found on the picture. To find it, first zoom directly to Obama; follow the white railing, which outlines the stage, to the lamppost; approximately 3-4ft to the left of the post is a man with a strange, hand-like figure across his face. What the heck is this?!?
Wow, browsed it for a 20 minutes, nice job !
Attention, le site risque d’être down avec tout le visiteurs !
This is an amazing shot. I would pay to be able to download a copy of the photo file to keep on my computer. Any chance of that?
Excellent, simply excellent – thank you,
Fantastic work, as always, David. See you on the cruise!
Great photo. So far I’ve found Denzel Washington, Diddy, Beyonce and Jay Z in the crowd below… Anyone find other non-politicians?
Denzel Washington is in a blue hat on the lower level, towards the middle.
that was some great picture you took, looking at it was like better than being there.
your image is technically brilliant in the fact that yo ok u can afford a reasonable camera. it is also compositionally boring and so are you. get involved.
They all look bored… only the inner circle is clapping and listening…
Wow Man this is Incredible. Technology these days, WOW. You fused your own creativity as well, and found a little niche for yourself as a freelance tech historian on this memorable day. Good stuff
I am very proud to be an American today. I did not vote for President Obama, but he won the election and I now support him 100%. I do not believe in a lot of what I’ve read in his agenda and will fight it where I can, but this is America and the freedom to agree to disagree is one of the political factors that separates us from dictatorships and socialist forms of government. I think that some of the changes President Obama would like to make move us closer to a socialist government, which history shows us does not work and is a step away from a dictatorship, which has never worked. The Constitutional Democracy of the United States of America is the best system of government ever and it is, UNDER GOD.
Cool
Is it just me or is Clarence Thomas sleeping?
Could you post it on at least have 10 downloads alloted. The BitTorrent would take care of the rest of the distribution.
Simply amazing!!!! Thank you for sharing. Technology never ceases to amaze me.
You are an amazing photographer. I am 22 now and just started learning about photography and hopefully someday I will be able to create a gigapan this amazing. You did a wonderful job! I am inspired!!
Now, I challenge you to see how many people can tag themselves on facebook.
That is cool, I did not know that it works like that. I always thought these pics are a single shot… hehe stupid…
David -
congratulations, you’ve entered history with this shot. It will be, like the image of Lincoln’‘s inaugural, the iconic image of the moment.
allow me to be the first to request that you NOT fix any stitching errors, or, if you choose to address them, you preserve the image as you have initially shared it with us. The accidental surrealities (and horrors) the errors create tie the work to that of Bosch, as well as other less-nichey painters of both formal American and European history and life, Given the choice between purchasing a print with no stitch errors and one with these errors, i would choose the one with the errors.
What are your plans for publication of this image? Are we free to attempt to download it for personal reproduction? Do you intend to post the image in a forum such as flickr where observers can tag themselves and others within the image?
Looking forward to your decisions, and again, congratulations.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! That is an amazing gift for anyone that was there. Being able to zoom in and mill about the audience seeing faces that held the same joy and hope that I felt is absoutely priceless.
reallly? this is justifiable art?
WOW! What an amazing use of today’s photographic technology. Please leave this image on the web. I’ve already spent an hour exploring, and I’m sure it’ll be a great place to spend some more time. But for now, I SHOULD get some work done! THANKS FOR SHARING!
Just simply wow one of the most amazing pictures I have seen of this historic moment.
Have added a link and post on our site to share hopefully with many others.
Fantastic work and thank you for sharing it with us.
Shaun
This is awesome. You rock.
)
Whenever Obama’s inauguration comes up, I’m going to think of this.
I spent hours last night browsing through this picture. Showed the kids as soon as they were up. There were a few yawns until they spotted their first sniper.
“2 stagehands walk into a bar….”
This is truly one of the most amazing photos I have ever seen. I can’t wait to share this with friends. What a vicarious thrill to see all the dignitaries and their view of this historic occasion. I feel almost as if I was THERE. Thank you so very, very much!
Simply amazing! Bravo you really captured this modern event with today’s most modern photographic technology. I hope you receive the deserved recognition for an outstanding immortalization of one of America’s most memorable moments.
C.
you fucked up part of it.
some dudes face is cropped to shit, with 4 eyes.
if you look at the first row nearest to Obama, 5 over to the right 1 row up.
that image is HUGE!
Really terrific! It is wonderful to be able to zoom in on all of the facets of the capital building. You can even see the cobwebbed bugs nesting under the eaves of the rotunda. But the scrolls and filigree around the structure frame the event.
Please make it available to print from a download site.
Speechless! This is grrreat photo! Thank You for sharing!!!
epic…will fap again
EXTRA! BARDZO DOBRA PRACA FOTOGRAFA! JESTEM POD WRA?ENIEM MO?LIWO?CI TECHNIKI FOTO!!
Absolutely stunning. What a picture indeed
Greetings from Belgium, keep up the good work bro
Brilliant!!! It was so much fun to look at. What an innovative idea.
you ROCK !
Good job
Thank you so much David for this incredible view–what a thrill–takes me back to the chill!!!!
Your work is so appreciated!
Dude above Barack has four eyes.
Pointed to you here, on Twitter. Brilliant work.
Big Brother is Watching You !
This has to be one of the most amazing photographs ever taken! Congratulations on a job superbly done! Thanks for sharing this magnificant piece of history in such a visual manner.
I am so excited!! I found myself in your photo!! So cool!! Is there anyway to “pin” it so I can send a link to someone to see it zoomed to my spot?
This is incredibly awesome, nice work!!
This is just terrific. Thanks so much!
well done, david!
Amazing.
Chuck
Fantastic shot, found Yo-yo Ma; look for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who appears to be sleeping. and Newt Gingrich, stretched out lounging and looking bored.
Great work, historical in more ways than one. Thank you very much.
This was a fun image to explore, I liked trying to spot all the secret service milling about. The snipers on the rooftops in the distance and on the capital rotunda are kind of an eerie reminder of the world we live in. Very nice work, I’m glad you pulled it off!
Very impressive!
That is really, really amazing. Thank you for capturing such a historic moment in such a unique way.
We were there about dead-center and we found ourselves with little trouble – this will be a great “party trick” to show friends. Thanks!
Is Justice Thomas sleeping? Behind the podium…
Poster-size prints? Please?
This is amazing.
Hi,
that is the best panorama, that i see. Gongratulation! I wish you for the future all the best.
King regards
Crap! m SHOCKED HOW THIS COULD BE DONE. a GOOD PIECE OF HARD WORK LATER USEFUL FOR FBI haan
Very impressive!
Tom
Photography Studio Lighting
http://photographystudiolighting.brighterplanet.org/
This is an incredible photo. We were there in the seats. We were able to find ourselves in your photo. It is amazing.
that is so good…. I can see so much detail – I hope it stays on the web for years to come
Truly awesome photo. It made me feel like I was there. Wendy, Australia.
I looks obvious you “photoshopped” out Rick Warren with Aretha Franklin or was that just a software glitch.
This is very impressive to say the least! I love it. I know it’s nit-picking and would take a lot more work, but it would be amazing if you were able to go through and fix the stitch lines so that where it goes through people who have moved a little from one frame to the next and are cut weird (like the guy in the front row who turned his head or the couple with the baby in the baby-bjorn getting the picture taken) and select the image fragments to make them appear whole, making it absolutely impossible to spot the stitch lines. That would be AMAZING! Still, thank you for sharing this picture, it truly is a unique perspective.
Fantastic job – blows CNN away.
David, Thank you for this supurb shot of this event. I was able to find myself, my wife and son, even though we are totally bundled up. I would like to know how to get a copy of the image so I can blow up the location where we are sitting, for posterity. Thank you again. HC Reed
Brilliant! I love all this gearhead stuff. I was freezing at 15th & Penn Ave. This is intriguing to zoom in a spot everyone. You ARE a photo pano rock star. Spotted Harrington with his setup. Amazing detail.
Looks cold from there. How long did you have to be in position? I shot Clinton’s second inaugural and the cold is just unstoppable after a while. Glad the G10’s batteries lasted long enough for you.
Great Job, this photo is very interesting, Greatings from Poland
ave
WOW, what a picture. You have taken one of the moste historical moments EVER. And I’m sure that this picture, is going in the historybooks as the best picture of the 44′th Presiden of the United States.
Congratulations with your new Presidet.
Best from Norway
OMG>>>> I can only imagine taking such a picture… ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!
Good job man! i just found myself among 2 million. Very cool keep up the awesome work!!!!!
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time and effort to document this historic moment and share it with the world. The photo is simply amazing.
David, Thank you for sharing this with the world. When you go further away, can’t see the faces as clearly, but it is still like I was there….shivering an all. This is an absolutely incredible work!
Hi, What great fun! I found my daughter in the seated section. I am standing in the area by the trees, and I can’t make out myself. But, wow, this is so excellent. Thanks!