Using Photo Stitching to Photograph Giant Objects

Photography Tips

Known as The President, this giant sequoia is one the largest trees in the world. It has now been studied and photographed by a team of National Geographic experts and scientist in Sequoia National Park. The monstrous tree is 27 feet in diameter, 247 feet tall, 3,200 years old, and has over 2 billion leaves. So, how is it even possible to get a portrait of this enormity?

The video above gives you a slight hint on how to capture and create photos of such giant and large objects: photo stitching process. In short, it’s a similar process to panorama, combining multiple photographic images with overlapping fields of view to create a single segment, the picture itself. This is a digital process that can only work if the overlaps between images are nearly exact, with identical exposures, for a seamless effect.

For a good example, the (impressive) result of this particular giant adventure, as well as further specific notes on the team can be accessed here: National Geographic giant trees.

Ready to try it yourself?

Giant tree photo captured and stitched together by National Geographic