Treatise on Panopainting

Richard Rathe (2015)

Panopainting (verb, noun) — Panoramic photographs captured in real-time with unpredictable, non-deterministic distortions due to movement of the camera and subject. The aesthetic value of these images depends on the camera's stitching algorithm and the physical brush stroke performed by the photographer. A degree of glitching is expected and often leads to cubist or impressionistic effects. Each exposure is unique due to inevitable variation in subject and technique.

History

Panoramic works of art have been around since early man painted herds of animals on cave walls.

Lascaux Cave — Great Hall of the Bulls [source:pinterest]
Lascaux Cave — Great Hall of the Bulls [source:pinterest]

Leonardo da Vinci painted his iconic Last Supper in a panoramic format that appeared to be an extension of the room.

Leonardo da Vinci — The Last Supper [source:wikipedia]
Leonardo da Vinci — The Last Supper [source:wikipedia]

Large-scale painted panoramas (aka cycloramas) of major historic events were popular at the time of the Civil War.

Paul Philippoteaux — Gettysburg Cyclorama [source:fandom]
Paul Philippoteaux — Gettysburg Cyclorama [source:fandom]

The earliest photographic multi-image panoramas date from around that time.

Martin Behrmanx — San Francisco 1851 [source:medium]
Martin Behrmanx — San Francisco 1851 [source:medium]

The same technique found its way into modern photo albums…

Modern Multi-Image Panorama [source:Diana Pray]
Modern Multi-Image Panorama [source:Diana Pray]

Panographic film cameras were developed and ultimately became inexpensive and disposable.

Disposable Panoramic Camera
Disposable Panoramic Camera

With the digital age came specialized software that could stitch images together into a seamless whole.

Machu Picchu Composite
Machu Picchu Composite

Today panoramic photography is as easy as panning your phone!

Sunrise on Lake Santa Fe
Sunrise on Lake Santa Fe

Happy Discovery

For the first few years I took panoramas in the conventional way—sweeping the phone in a horizontal arc. I call this a traditional or Type 1 Panorama.

Traditional Phone Panorama
Traditional Phone Panorama

Then one day I faced a novel situation. I wanted to take a panoramic photo of colorful cloth on display in a cramped market. There was only six feet between booths. Using an arc would yield very distorted and unpleasing results, so I improvised. I kept the phone steady and walked parallel to the booth.

Roll-Out Phone Panorama
Roll-Out Phone Panorama

The resulting image was flat and undistorted (except the woman who moved as I passed). I call this a roll-out or Type 2 Panorama.

Ecuador 2013
Ecuador 2013

I refer to these images as “roll outs” because they remind me of the flattened images of pottery, etc. seen in journals.

Mythological Vase, Maya, Late Classic [source:metmuseum.org]
Mythological Vase, Maya, Late Classic [source:metmuseum.org]

The creative potential of this technique became clear one day when I had some time to experiment on the beach.

My First Panopainting
My First Panopainting

The interaction of the moving camera with the surf and my feet created interesting distortions and time lapse sequences. And thus panopainting was born!

Results


External Links
 https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/unrolling-maya-ceramic-canvases

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