It was one of those perfectly still, crisp Autumn mornings. In the predawn glow, I surveyed the cloudless sky above New York City's Central Park and navigated to one of the park's hidden gems: a large boulder nestled amid a a grove of diverse trees. Nicknamed "Cat Rock" by locals, this boulder was the longtime home of a large group of "park cats" that would gather under its overhangs.
I set up my equipment as the sun began to rise over the park behind me, illuminating the famous "Billionaire's Row" city skyline at the southern end of the park. The still air, full with the distinctive aromas of autumn, enveloped me while I worked to expose the 104 photos it took to create this immense 2,008 megapixel VAST photo. The sun continued to rise, casting its rays onto the the tops of the beautifully multi-colored trees, adding yet another surreal element to the scene in front of my lens.
I particularly like this scene because of the juxtaposition of the flowing natural rock formations in the foreground and the angular manmade "rock formations" in the background, divided by a band of nature's finest colors created by an amazing diversity of tree species. Additionally, under construction in the middle of the photo is 220 Central Park, one of the skyscrapers headlining NYC's current renaissance of super-tall structures. This represents a city that is ever progressing onward and upward.
My favorite aspect of this photo, however, is the incredible number of disparate and diverse scenes that exist for the viewer to explore, thanks to the photo's exceptional resolution: a trio of flagpoles are nestled in the woods, a winding path weaves its way through an arched tunnel, a digital billboard reads out the time and temperature beneath a scene of flying birds, a small construction ladder rests precariously on a ledge 700 feet in the air atop 220 Central Park, a lone orange leaf clings onto an otherwise leafless branch, a chimney on the famous Hampshire House billows a plume of steam, a close-up of Cat Rock's texture looks like a lunar landscape, a reflection of the colored foliage reflects off a shimmering Columbus Circle building, a luxurious chandelier fills a window on the 90-story One57 tower... there's no shortage of life and scenery to explore in this record-setting photo.
Date & Time | November 5, 2016: 8:04am |
Location | Central Park, New York City |
Coordinates | 40.768464, -73.973519 |
Focal Length | 135mm |
Aperture | f/20 |
Shutter | 1/4 |
ISO | 100 |
Num of Exposures | 104 |
VAST photos are the highest resolution photos ever made.
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Total Pixels | 2,008,081,812 px |
Width | 60,468 px |
Height | 33,209 px |
Aspect Ratio | 1.82 : 1 |
Date & Time | November 5, 2016: 8:04am |
Location | Central Park, New York City |
Coordinates | 40.768464, -73.973519 |
Focal Length | 135mm |
Aperture | f/20 |
Shutter | 1/4 |
ISO | 100 |
Num of Exposures | 104 |
Here are some rough guidelines for this specific photo: