Unexpected Perspectives
Every few months I take a run at my photo collection; delete, tag, organize, etc. This time through I stumbled across a few shots that I had taken with the intention of making a panoramic out of but haven't yet.
I researched how to stitch them together (hint: it's easy, there's a 1-click photo merging function in Photoshop) and made a few.
Click the pictures for the full-scale version.
Grand Canyon
I took this sequence on the South Kaibab Trail near Skeleton Point. The trail is currently hugging the cliff face on the left side of the picture. I am descending towards the river. My destination is the narrow band of trees at the bottom of the canyon (running perpendicular to the Colorado River) surround Bright Angel Creek and Phantom Ranch.
Half way down the canyon lies the Tonto Plateau, which you see in the photo above as the flat expanse of land separating the upper and lower canyons.
The following panoramic is taken from Lookout Point which lies on the Tonteau Plateau.
Lookout Point
I loved Lookout Point. You can see the Colorado river stretching along the bottom of the Canyon. Opposite is the North side.
Mont Blanc
This shot was taken after my climbing partner Marc and I had completed climbing the Aretes Des Cosmiques, which runs along the top of the ridgeline at the bottom right of the photo.
You can see Mont-Blanc du Tacul, with Mont-Maudit behind, and further back still the Mont-Blanc. We climbed the three in progression two days prior via the Three Mount Traverse Route.
In the center is the view towards Italy. Following the ascending ridgeline towards the right you see the Rochefort Ridge. Traversing the ridge was my favourite route on the trip.
At the far left you can see a observation deck.
Cortina d'Ampezzo
One of the largest panos I found (15,000 px wide!). I don't recall what route we were on when I shot this. Cortina d'Ampezzo lies in the valley in the center of the shot.
Beginning the Journey
The journey of a million miles begins with a single step... Or something like that.
I keep a travel journal with me whenever I head for an adventure. It's a constant companion on beaches, mountain peaks, and crowded subway cars in foreign lands. I wouldn't be the first traveler to say that new ideas and inspiration come from the rush of excitement experienced when exploring a place for the first time. It's at those moments that I turn to my book and pour out my newfound thoughts.
One of the recurring themes in my book is the desire to share these thought and experiences with others. The spirit of traveling, after all, is sharing. Sharing culture, languages, moments, and creating an exchange. It is in this spirit that i have decided to write and share.
Upon returning from my latest trip, this time to Italy to climb the Via Feratta in the Dolomites, I began thinking about my prior travels and how well I remember them. I always swear to myself at the time that i will remember the little details that made the experience so rich. Though I never tire of recounting stories, I realize that over time the nuances of the original begin changing or disappearing.