Munjoy Hill -- 180° Aerial Panoramic View from a Kite

Portland's Munjoy Hill neighborhood is located in the very eastern part of the city, and overlooks the Casco Bay.

This is the first aerial panoramic that I've done that is somewhat successful. Sure, it's got its problems. It was put together from 5 separate digital photos shot in rapid succession, before the camera had a chance to gain or lose altitude. These photos were taken on July 1, 2003 at 7am, a time when the sun is still low in the sky.

I've photographed this neighborhood from the air many times, but always in the afternoon when partially shooting into the sun was necessary. This was the first time that I was able to be out kite flying in the early morning, and take advantage of the optimum angle of sun light.

The kite was a Flowform 30, the camera a Canon Digital Elph S100, and the stitching software Spin Panorama.

The altitude of the camera in the panoramic was about 100 feet. The satellite photo below has an "X" marking the location of the center of the panoramic view.

And yes, that's me at the very bottom right side of the panoramic photo holding the kiteline.

click to see panoramic view of Munjoy Hill

click to see a much higher view of Munjoy Hill