After months of dedication and hard work, I am thrilled to finally introduce The Panorama Book. This collection represents more than a series of stunning high-resolution images; it is a deeply personal exploration of my passion for panoramic photography. With every page, I aim to share the artistry, challenges, and triumphs behind capturing the world in its grandest and most breathtaking form.
Why Super-Panoramas are so Special
Panoramic photography offers a unique way to experience the world—a broader, more immersive perspective that invites viewers to step into the scene. Unlike conventional photography, my high resolution panoramas capture the full expanse of a location, edge to edge, with breathtaking clarity. Each image in this book is the result of assembling dozens—sometimes hundreds—of individual photographs into a seamless masterpiece, with resolutions exceeding 500 megapixel.
But The Panorama Book is about more than technical achievement. Panoramas have the power to tell stories that can’t be conveyed through traditional formats. The interplay of light, texture, and scale creates a visual narrative that invites viewers to pause, explore, and connect with the world in a way that feels both intimate and boundless.
The Importance of Perspective
Creating these images has taught me that perspective is everything—both literally and figuratively. While a dramatic mountaintop view may seem awe-inspiring in person, I’ve learned that such scenes often fall flat in a super-panoramic format (exceptions confirm the rule). Surprisingly, the most impactful panoramas often come from capturing scenes at eye level, where the human perspective feels most natural. This approach preserves the sense of scale and depth that makes an image resonate with the viewer.
Another fascinating aspect of perspective in panoramas is the ability to manipulate it. By using a telephoto lens with a high focal length, I’ve harnessed the phenomenon of lens compression to create images where the background appears closer to the foreground, compressing the depth of the scene. This technique brings distant objects into visual harmony and produces an effect that is both striking and surreal. For a deeper dive into this approach, feel free to explore my previous blog post [here].
The Craft Behind the Scenes
The creation of each panorama is a meticulous process that begins long before I press the shutter. Scouting the right location, waiting for perfect lighting, and working with a robotic unit to align shots precisely all require careful planning and patience. One of the biggest logistical challenges is transporting all the necessary equipment to the site. From cameras and lenses to a specialized robotic unit, every piece of gear must be carried, often over difficult terrain.
Using a robotic unit, while essential for achieving pinpoint precision, also has significant implications for the required setup. A standard tripod won’t suffice. Instead, I rely on heavy-duty tripods capable of withstanding the combined weight of the equipment while remaining stable in rough or windy conditions. This stability is crucial to ensure that each frame aligns perfectly, as even the slightest movement could compromise the entire panorama. Despite these logistical hurdles, the reward is undeniable: a seamless panoramic image that immerses viewers in a perspective they might never have otherwise experienced. It’s this combination of technical expertise and creative vision that brings the scenes in The Panorama Book to life.
Even after capturing the images, the work is far from over. The long exposure time for each panorama means that lighting conditions can change dramatically throughout the shoot. Each individual frame must be meticulously adjusted to ensure consistency in color, exposure, and tone before being stitched together. The final panorama, often exceeding 500 megapixels, then undergoes additional refinement to create a harmonious composition. Working on such large files pushes both software and hardware to their limits, requiring powerful computing equipment and a great deal of patience. Every adjustment is an exercise in precision, as even the smallest misstep can disrupt the visual flow of the image.
A Format that does Justice
To do justice to the art of panoramic photography, I chose a very large format for this book. Measuring 40 x 29.4 centimeters (15.75 x 11.58 inches)—80 cm wide when fully unfolded, it’s far beyond the scale of a traditional “coffee table book” and likely exceeds the capacity of most bookshelves. The book is bound in fine leather and features over 100 double-page spreads printed on high-gloss photographic paper using lay-flat binding to showcase panoramas in their full, uninterrupted glory. This is the highest quality I could achieve, but it came at an enormous cost. For this reason, The Panorama Book is not for sale—it is a personal gift to myself, a celebration of my passion and dedication to this art form.
A Labor of Love
What you see in The Panorama Book is more than just photography—it’s a labor of love. From the sweeping landscapes of Switzerland to the far-flung destinations I’ve visited, each image reflects countless hours of effort, creativity, and passion. But behind every success lies a long list of challenges and failures.
Bad weather, poor lighting, crowded locations, or perspectives that simply don’t work—these are the realities of panoramic photography. Sometimes, even after assembling the final image, it doesn’t align with my initial vision, leaving me frustrated. There are scenes I’ve dreamed of capturing for years, only to be thwarted time and time again by unpredictable conditions, especially weather. Some places are only accessible during narrow time windows, and when you’re traveling, you often have no choice but to work with the circumstances you’re given.
Despite these setbacks, the moments of triumph make it all worthwhile. The incredible joy of creating an image that perfectly encapsulates the vision in my mind outweighs the frustrations along the way. Those rare successes are what keep me motivated, fueling my desire to push boundaries and continue chasing the perfect shot.
Many of my panoramas have found homes as large-scale wall prints, bringing the immersive experience of these vast landscapes into living rooms and offices. These prints range in size, with formats up to an impressive 3 meters wide—and my largest printed work spans a breathtaking 10 by 3 meters! Seeing these images displayed on such a monumental scale is incredibly rewarding, as it allows others to experience the full grandeur of the scenes I’ve captured.
Holding this book in my hands, I am reminded of why I fell in love with photography in the first place: its power to connect us to the world and to each other. While this book was created as a personal milestone and a celebration of my journey, I hope the images within it inspire others (my guests at home) to see the world from a broader, more thoughtful perspective.
Thank you for joining me on this adventure. While The Panorama Book itself is a unique, personal piece, the stories and moments it captures are universal.
Cheers,
//Alex
alexreusch 