PhotoSnob

Los Angeles skyline after sunset via Griffith Observatory

It’s finally ready! A few months ago I made quick weekend trip down to Los Angeles to visit my sister. I also took some time to explore the cityscape and attempt to get a good capture of the skyline at sunset. I posted a about my visit to the Griffith Observatory as well.

I quickly realized my biggest challenge would be the weather or should I say atmosphere over the city. There is a constant smog haze over the city from dawn till dusk and depending on weather conditions, it will often persist well into the night. I also packed very light for the weekend jaunt. I took just my Canon 5D Mark III, Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8, EF 24-105mm f/4L and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. I definitely wished for my 7D or 7D Mark II as I would’ve captured way more detail.

Magic hour was more like a magic minute. By the time I was done taking my shots from left to right, it was a completely different scene. I took 60 shots in all to compose 20 final HDR shots and stitched them together to give this 200 megapixel 1.5GB panorama. This image demanded especially painstaking processing because each bracket set has to be re-adjusted for color balance and exposure in addition to typical post processing. The 5D Mark III’s high dynamic range definitely came in handy here however the prime reason for the extreme disparity was also because of the 5D mark III’s slow shutter and image processing capability (compared to say the 7D Mark II). I simply could not traverse the scene fast enough. The entire panorama had to be re-composed over and over again as I slowly matched each set.

While some work remains to be done, I am pleased with the final result. The detail is staggering. I often entertain myself looking through these high resolution panoramas for the one guy taking a smoke on a balcony or the lady sitting at her dining table having dinner. Perhaps they will never know in that moment they were frozen in time and at the moment I took the shot I had no idea they were there. It is humbling…

This shot will make it to Limited Edition print. I am still not sure about the format and size. Please let me know any thoughts and feedback you may have.

Thanks for stopping by.