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A close-up of "The Hand of Zeus" by Dan Piech: an ultra-high-resolution VAST photo.
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    Printed using archival-quality inks on textured canvas material stretched over wood supports
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    A true photograph created using light-sensitive paper exposed in a darkroom with the industry's highest precision exposure technique and accompanied by the artist signature
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5,449 megapixels! The highest definition VAST photo of a lightning bolt strike from a thunderstorm over the Hudson River and Tribeca Pointe in the Battery Park City neighborhood of New York City; created by Dan Piech.
5,449 megapixels! The highest definition VAST photo of a lightning bolt strike from a thunderstorm over the Hudson River and Tribeca Pointe in the Battery Park City neighborhood of New York City; created by Dan Piech.
5,449 megapixels! The highest definition VAST photo of a lightning bolt strike from a thunderstorm over the Hudson River and Tribeca Pointe in the Battery Park City neighborhood of New York City; created by Dan Piech.
5,449 megapixels! The highest definition VAST photo of a lightning bolt strike from a thunderstorm over the Hudson River and Tribeca Pointe in the Battery Park City neighborhood of New York City; created by Dan Piech.
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  • Just the paper print Just the paper print
  • Small
    2 megapixels
    JPG
    1,722 x 1,161 px
  • Medium
    10 megapixels
    JPG
    3,851 x 2,597 px
  • Large
    50 megapixels
    TIF
    8,611 x 5,807 px
  • Huge
    250 megapixels
    TIF
    19,254 x 12,984 px
  • Colossal
    1,000 megapixels
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    38,508 x 25,968 px
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    5,449 megapixels
    PSB
    89,889 x 60,617 px
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The Hand of Zeus

5,449 MEGAPIXELS
5,449 megapixels! The highest definition VAST photo of a lightning bolt strike from a thunderstorm over the Hudson River and Tribeca Pointe in the Battery Park City neighborhood of New York City; created by Dan Piech.
This photo is 25,850% higher resolution than a typical photo.
Scroll to learn more.

The Hand of Zeus

5,449 MEGAPIXEL VAST PHOTO
This photo is
25,850% higher resolution
than a typical photo.
Scroll to learn more.

At 5:11pm on July 25, 2016, New York City witnessed one of the most impressive lightning strikes ever photographed. An enormous bolt rocked Downtown Manhattan and Jersey City, completely spanning the Hudson River - and I had my camera set up to capture it.

It was a sweltering day at the height of summer and a thunderstorm was quickly approaching from the west, spreading an oil-slick of darkness in front of it. I've photographed countless storms, but as this particular one roared in from a distance, I knew it was going to be special. A beautiful wall cloud was quickly advancing in front of the rain curtain, electrifying the sky with cloud-to-ground lightning.

Brimming with excitement, I perched myself high up on a building in downtown Manhattan. The air, still thick with the smell of a sunny summer afternoon, was eerily calm as I set up my gear and began exposing images, hoping to capture one of these strikes branching out in front of the rain. Being exposed and elevated hundreds of feet outside with my camera wasn't the safest idea, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

Suddenly, an enormous bolt pierced the sky with a sound so deafening that my ears were ringing despite the hearing protection I had on. An incredible number of stepped leaders raced toward the ground, one of them connecting with a large metasequoia tree in Battery Park City, instantly exploding all 80 feet of it into thousands of pieces. Another one of the leaders crossed to the New Jersey side of the river and connected with a luxury high-rise not too dissimilar to the one that I was on.

For an instant, New York and New Jersey were joined by one of the most powerful forces in nature. It was a beautiful and humbling moment of sheer power.

I’ve spent over a decade chasing thunderstorms, exposing tens of thousands of images along the way, and coming closer than I’d like to being struck more times than I’d like to admit. Almost always, these occasions fail to yield any photographs worthy enough to show for the effort. The public is never privy to these empty harvests and the toll they take. However, as an obsessive photographer, I've continued to head out into storms time after time, undeterred, all in the hope of eventually having the good fortune to be granted an awe-inspiring moment like this.

You may be wondering how I created this exceptionally high resolution VAST photo. I spent hundreds of hours over the course of a year meticulously transforming the original 40-megapixel single-exposure photo into this 5,449-megapixel VAST photo that identically mimics the original.

Learn how I did it  

View the original single-exposure image  

Date & TimeJuly 25, 2016:  5:11pm
LocationNew York City
Coordinates40.719276, -74.012121
Focal Length300mm
Aperturef/22
Shutter10 sec
ISO100
Num of Exposures111

VAST photos are the highest resolution photos ever made.
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Explore another VAST photo of lightning
This is not an ordinary photograph.

Its resolution is 25,850% greater than a typical photo. Click on the boxes below to zoom in.

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Canvas print

Our ready-to-hang canvas prints are created using a specialty printer that carefully lays pigment inks down onto archival-quality fine art canvas material. The canvas is then stretched around a 1.5-inch-deep wood support structure to provide depth and elegance. Our canvas material has a delightfully matte finish that looks spectacular in any lighting conditions while retaining maximum vibrancy and contrast. Click here to learn more.

Produced using a specialty, large-format fine art printer operating at 300ppi resolution—the gold standard for sharpness
Printed onto heavyweight, 100% acid-free fine art canvas to preserve color-accuracy and longevity
Created using materials and methods that exceed the rigorous technical standards required to achieve the prized "giclée" industry rating
Designed to meet the most demanding standards for color-permanence set by leading museums
Handmade by award-winning master printmakers with over 4 decades of experience
Optionally accompanied by your choice of elegant floater frame available in a variety of trims
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VAST Print™

A VAST Print™ represents the pinnacle of the photographic medium. Each print is a true photograph created specifically for you using light-sensitive paper exposed in a darkroom with the industry's highest precision exposure technique. Your print is then sealed with a shine-enhancing protective glossy coating*, adhered to a sturdy aluminum composite backing, and finished in one of two ready-to-hang formats:

  • Frameless floating display: A hidden mounting brace on the rear gracefully "floats" the print off the wall for a sleek, modern look.
  • Framed display: The print is mounted inside one of our handcrafted 100% wood frames with a decorative separation between the print and the frame so that the print appears to be floating within the frame, providing depth and elegance to the finished photo.

Click here to learn more.

*Note: a non-glossy, satin matte coating is alternatively available on request.

Certificate of authenticity icon for the VAST Prints photography product.
Certificate of authenticity  
with artist signature
affixed to the back

Mounting brace floats the display
off the wall by 3/4 inch
Metal back
5,449 megapixels! The highest definition VAST photo of a lightning bolt strike from a thunderstorm over the Hudson River and Tribeca Pointe in the Battery Park City neighborhood of New York City; created by Dan Piech.
Paper print
Shine-enhancing
protective coating
Laser-exposed at a truly unprecedented 610ppi resolution
Created using fine art paper with a specialty emulsion enabling unsurpassed micro-contrast, ultra-bright whites, and deep blacks
Printed with a chromogenic process that produces "continuous tones" of silky smooth color (other printers use noticeable dots of ink)
Sealed between an extra-thick, shine-enhancing protective coating and a sturdy aluminum composite backing for a sleek look
Award-winning product quality recognized industry-wide
Designed to meet the most demanding standards for color-permanence set by leading museums
Handmade by certified master printmakers with over 4 decades of experience
Hand-signed by the artist and accompanied by our digitally-enhanced, holographic certificate of authenticity
Optionally accompanied by your choice of elegant floater frame available in a variety of trims
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Digital file

Due to their record-setting resolutions, VAST photos are the most versatile images ever created, with the quality necessary to look great at any size and in any project. Purchasing one of our standard royalty-free licenses provides you with the digital file at your choice of resolution and a permit to use it for most types of projects. Click here to learn more.

Usage in most media formats*
Unlimited number of projects*
Worldwide, perpetual usage*
Not for use in merchandise for sale
Non-exclusive (i.e. we may license the photo to others)

For a premium license that gives exclusivity, glass-related use in North America, or use in merchandise for sale, contact us.

Total Pixels5,448,801,513 px
Width89,889 px
Height60,617 px
Aspect Ratio1.48 : 1
Date & TimeJuly 25, 2016:  5:11pm
LocationNew York City
Coordinates40.719276, -74.012121
Focal Length300mm
Aperturef/22
Shutter10 sec
ISO100
Num of Exposures111

How much resolution do I need?

Here are some rough guidelines for this specific photo:

small
2 megapixels
  • Fine art prints < 6x4 in
  • Marketing prints < 11x8 in
  • Use on webpages at sizes smaller than full‑screen
  • Wallpapers for devices with low‑resolution screens
medium
10 megapixels
  • Fine art prints < 13x9 in
  • Marketing prints < 26x17 in
  • Use on webpages at full‑screen sizes
  • Wallpapers for devices with high‑resolution screens
large
50 megapixels
  • Fine art prints < 29x19 in
  • Marketing prints < 57x39 in
  • Large murals viewed from > 16 ft
  • Massive murals viewed from > 32 ft
huge
250 megapixels
  • Fine art prints < 64x43 in
  • Marketing prints < 128x87 in
  • Large murals viewed from > 7 ft
  • Massive murals viewed from > 14 ft
colossal
1000 megapixels
  • Fine art prints < 128x87 in
  • Marketing prints < 257x173 in
  • Large murals viewed from > 4 ft
  • Massive murals viewed from > 7 ft
full file
5449 megapixels
  • Fine art prints < 300x202 in
  • Marketing prints < 599x404 in
  • Large murals viewed from > 2 ft
  • Massive murals viewed from > 3 ft
Fine art
prints
(300ppi)
Marketing
prints
(150ppi)
Large
murals
(~20x8 ft)
Massive
murals
(~40x16 ft)
Use on
webpages
Digital
device
wallpapers
small
2 megapixels
< 6x4 in < 11x8 in less than
full-screen use
low-resolution
screens
medium
10 megapixels
< 13x9 in < 26x17 in full-screen use high-resolution
screens
large
50 megapixels
< 29x19 in < 57x39 in if viewers will be
> 16 ft away
if viewers will be
> 32 ft away
huge
250 megapixels
< 64x43 in < 128x87 in if viewers will be
> 7 ft away
if viewers will be
> 14 ft away
colossal
1,000 megapixels
< 128x87 in < 257x173 in if viewers will be
> 4 ft away
if viewers will be
> 7 ft away
full file
5,449 megapixels
< 300x202 in < 599x404 in if viewers will be
> 2 ft away
if viewers will be
> 3 ft away
Photo id: 10126