Spherical panoramas

by Erik Krause

All panoramas on this page were taken between 2002 and 2008 with Canon cameras (EOS 5 and EOS 600) and a Zenitar 15mm Fisheye on analog film, partly on slide film but mainly on color negative film, and scanned with a Nikon LS-40 film scanner. PTGui was used for stitching. Post-processing was done in Photoshop.

My newer panoramas (taken digitally) can be found if you follow the links in the section More (and newer) panoramas.

Czech Republik

August 2005 we could visit the old homeland of my parents. Since my father often went climbing in those former times we of course had to visit the climbing areas.

At this point I'd like to thank Josef Štrosner and Milan Meier who showed my two of the s son Mirek who found out the exact GPS-coordinates of my panoramas and told me the names of all visible rocks.

Ještĕd

Ever since the Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 the Ještĕd isn't unknown any more. The summit provides a magnificent view on the Jizera Mountains and the futuristic tower can be seen from far away. More info on Wikipedia

Mariánské schody

Farming alone couldn't feed the inhabtants of the small village Marienberg in the Jizera Mountains. They had to go for work f.e. to Desná in the valley. To make the steep path less troublesome those stairs consiting of more than 350 stone steps where built.

Skalák: Sfinga & Mravenčí

The trail through the rock town Skalák often leads through narrow gaps like here between the rocks Sfinga and Mravenčí. In the background the Jeřábí

Skalák: vyhlídka U Lvíčka

The rock town Skalák is situated in a valley. There are several lookouts where you have a nice overview.

Hrubá Skála: Dračky

Hrubá Skála is another rock town, neighboring to Skalák. Dračí zub and Dračí věž are only two of the many rock towers there. Behind the trees you can see Větrník and List. In front Josef Štrosner (double :-) and Milan Meier, my patient guides.

Hrubá Skála: Dračí zub

If you walk around the Dračí zub you soon see the next rocks. Here the Řetězová in the background. And this goes on and on.

Prachov: Císařská chodba

The Císařská chodba (Cesars path) goes between the Dráždanská věž (Dresden tower on the sunny side) and the Americká věž (America tower) through the rock town Prachov.

Prachov: Myší díra (mouse hole)

There are several really narrow gaps like this one in the sandstone rocks of the Český ráj. In Prachov are still many tourist. Hence at the entry sometimes you can hear a child say: "Mom, you won't fit through here"

Příhrazy: Kobyla 1

The Kobyla (mare) may be the weirdest rock in Příhrazy. The side view shows the head which probably caused the name.

Příhrazy: Kobyla 2

The view from the hillside shows that all sides of the Kobyla more or less overhang.

Color (wwp908)

"Color" - the theme for the end of summer WWP 2008 allowed for a lot of interpretations. I decided to ask the Master of Colors for a shooting date.

Martin Kasper - the Master of Colors

The use of hide glue and pigments created a landscape of colors over the years

Martin Kasper - The new palette

The trolley which serves as palette has got a new tier

Martin Kasper - The studio

A room to work in.

Solstice (wwp608)

"Elevation" was a hard subject for the 2008 summer solstice WWP especially since there is no direct translation to german. But if one lives in the city with the highest difference in altitude there should something be possible.

vertigo

A panorama to get vertigo. Where is up? where down?

sunset at Schauinsland

The end of the longest day seen from the highest point of Freiburg.

the first try

Wednesday 18 the wheather wasn't as good.

solstice fire on Mundenhof

The whole year a huge pile of wood is gatherd which is ignited on summer solstice evening

Beginning (wwp308)

It shouldn't be hard to find a suitable subject for the beginning of spring WWP "Beginning". But it started to snow precisely on equinox hence it was still a bit tricky. I found an enthusiastic beginner in the end.

a beginner

My son Laurin had to test his new inline skates in spite of the bad weather

first signs of spring

On anemones and corydalis again there are snow flakes

Holiday 2007

2007 was the last chance for us (before our children went to school) to go for holidays 2 month at a time. The first 4 weeks we spent again in La Crueize. After that we travelled over Pont Du Gard to Cap Creus in spain, through the Pyrenees to the atlantic ocean cost and through sout-west of France back again.

The broken chapel

The chapel Sain Laurent on the hill above La Crueize is broken down because of subsidence caused by coal mining.

The bell

The bell belonging to the chapel is situated at the top of the hill which provides a beautiful panorama of the southern cevennes.

The last rays of sunlight

Most tourists are gone at sunset when the Pont du Gard is most beautiful.

Pont Du Gard

The 2000 year old aqueduct once brought water from springs near Uzès to the Roman city of Nemausus (Nîmes). Now it is one of the major tourist attractions in southern france.

Cap Creus

The Cap Creus is the most eastern point of spain where the pyrenees dive into the mediterranean sea.

beach

A bed of compressed peat (or very young lignite) - impervious to water - causes many small fresh water sources spring up from it and pour directly into the ocean.

Albeit the place is named "Pin Sec" (the dry pine) there is a good supply of fresh groundwater for the currently living forest behind the dunes due to this fossil plant community.

four friends

Petra, Claus, Endi and Peggy know each other since many years. Often they go together for holiday, if possible to Pin Sec

Medieval market hall

This medieval market hall is covered by a self-supporting roof in a demanding wooden construction.

Windmill Spetzerfehn (wwp1206)

One of the Panoramas shown here is also my contribution to the best of 2006 world wide panorama event.

Theo Steenblock and his son run the last commercially operated windmill in eastern frisia. It was built in 1886 and is in almost original state - whith gear and wheels made of wood.

the gallery

With up to 90 km/h the wings of the windmill go shortly above the gallery.

milling (2.) floor

In the yellow housing works the big millstone

3. floor

The third floor is mainly used as storage and for some other machines.

4. floor

Here is another millstone. Beside the door to the gallery there is a broken wooden gear wheel and a wooden shaft as you can see them working above.

spur gear (5.) floor

The gear made of two gigantic wooden gear wheels doubles the rotation speed.

cap floor

The cap (above) is turned into the wind automatically by a small wind wheel.

Transportation (wwp906)

My contribution for the autumn equinox world wide panorama event "Transportation" I have dedicated to the old Freiburg Goods Station.

Only a few hundred meters from my home is the the old goods railway station of Freiburg. It will soon be torn down to make room for new flats and offices. I hope they will preserve at least a bit of the old architecture.

Currently the warehouses are still used to store goods and are also used as studios, small factories and workshops.

The trains, however, don't use this spur any more and only the names of the streets like "Zollhallenstraße" (toll street) or "Freiladestraße" (free-goods street) tell of the former importance when there was still customs at the border to France.