George Row

The Undertones are probably the best known little rock band to come out of Derry , (N. Ireland) during the late 1970s punk era. Their hit “Teenage Kicks” was famously touted as his “favourite record ever” by influential BBC DJ John Peel.

In 1983 – after eight years of touring they went their separate ways. Sixteen years later, in November 1999, four out of the original five members reformed the band, with Paul McCloone filling the fifth spot as lead singer. Since then they have undertaken tours of the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America.

A version of this image is also available here as a Tee-Shirt

This image was used in publicity material by the bid for Derry to be UK City of Culture. Derry City Council licensed the use of the image and printed their own huge posters based on it. It has also sold several times (about six) at physical exhibitions as a smaller (10′′x10′′) framed print .

This 360° panorama was shot just as The Undertones played “Teenage Kicks” as the big finale to their concert as part of “The Picnic in The Park” Festival organised by the Friends of Brooke Park on 4 th August 2007 in Derry.

Although it had drizzled a bit, earlier in the afternoon, the rain held off throughout the hour or more for which they played. They even sang “Here comes Summer” without fate’s sense of irony intervening.

This panorama was created by combining about a dozen separate digital photographs. They were shot in the middle of the crowd without the usual tripod. Camera (a Canon EOS 5D with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L zoom lens) held at arms length above the photographer’s head I rotated slowly taking photographs in each direction.

Because of the way that it was created this is a very high resolution image (the equivalent of about 80-megapixels). It’s capable of delivering very fine detail even when printed at massive sizes.

The O′Brien Castle has a commanding view of the whole of Inisheer (Inis Oirr in the local Irish language), the smallest of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay. It is a Norman fort built in the 1400s within a much earlier stone structure – that was at least a 1,000 years older.

This image is a 360° panorama showing most of the island from the vantage point of the fort. Many tiny fields can be seen throughout the island with their characteristic stone walls and limestone pavement. In the distance, across Galway Bay, the Cliffs of Moher on the coast of County Clare are wreathed in clouds.

Also clearly visible, at the top left, is the village by the pier where the ferry lands, and at the bottom right of the image is an old signal tower. Although not the same round shape as the classic round Martello Tower, it was probably built at the time of the Napoleonic Wars.

The opening sequence of the TV comedy series “Father Ted” starts with a view of the Plassey wreck and then zooms over Inisheer to portray “Craggy Island”. If you are a fan of the programme you could try clicking “View Larger” and then stare hard at the wall-enclosed fields – you might just start to hear the opening bars of the “Father Ted” theme music start up in your sub-conscious ... :-)

*Techie Photographic Detail*
This panorama was created by combining 27 separate photographs covering every angle and with bracketed exposures.

The source images were shot in groups of three (bracketed with +2 and -2 stops) as Canon Raw images on a Canon EOS 5d with a 16mm fisheye lens. They were stitched and blended together using a free, open source, program called Hugin. Hugin in turn invokes a program called Enfuse to create the High Dynamic Range effect. Then this image was cropped out of the total panorama.

Because of the way that it was created this is a very high resolution image (the equivalent of about 80-megapixels). It′s capable of delivering very fine detail even when printed at massive sizes.

The Kilkeel river starts in the Silent Valley, in County Down, N. Ireland, where it has been dammed to fill a reservoir that is used to supply Belfast and the surrounding areas with water. It flows from there to the Irish Sea, which it enters at the fishing town of Kilkeel.

Method
This full 360° high dynamic range panorama was created by combining 27 separate photographs covering every angle and with bracketed exposures.

Those source images were shot in Raw mode on a Canon 5D with a 16mm Zenitar Manual Focus fisheye lens mounted via an EOS adapter. They were shot in groups of three bracketed exposures (from -2 stops to +2 stops).

They were then stitched and blended together using a program called Hugin, which in turn invoked a program called Enfuse to create the High Dynamic Range effect.

This 360° panorama was shot on stepping stones that cross the Kilkeel River below Hanna’s Close .

The steps are made from huge lumps of the local granite which is a characteristic of the mountains and the dry stone walls in the area.

Hanna’s Close is one of two “Clachans” in Northern Ireland that have been preserved and given an official listing as historic buildings.

The Clachan was a type of small traditional settlement common in Ireland and Scotland for hundreds of years. It usually consisted of a small cluster of single-storey cottages, lacking a church, or other formal building.

The source images for this 360° HDR panoramic image were shot on a Canon EOS 5d, in Guildhall Square, Derry, N. Ireland, on the first Saturday of the month in September 2008, when the local street market known as “The Walled City Market” was taking place.

On one side of the square stands the distinctive gothic-style sandstone building known as the “Guildhall”. It serves many civic functions, including housing the Council Chamber in which Derry City Council meets, and the Mayor‘s Parlour, where the Mayor receives and hosts visitors.

The Guildhall opened in 1890 after the original town hall in the Diamond – the centre of the walled city – was burnt down. On the other side of the square are the historic city walls. They date from the 17th century and are amongst the last intact city walls in Europe.

The panorama was created by combining 27 separate digital photographs covering every angle and with bracketed exposures. Hence the detail has been captured both in the brightest areas of the sky and in the shadows inside the stalls.

The source images were shot on a Canon EOS 5d DSLR with a 16mm fisheye lens and stitched and blended together using Hugin, a free open source program, which in turn invoked Enfuse to create the HDR effect. Then the image was further refined in Photoshop, particularly to cope with the extremes of highlight and shadow around the sun and the centre of the panorama.

Because of the way that it was created this is a very high resolution image (the equivalent of about 80-megapixels). It is capable of delivering very fine detail even when printed at massive sizes.

This 360° panorama features Maurice Harron’s sculpture “Hands Across The Divide” which stands in a garden on a roundabout at Carlisle Circus, in Derry, N.Ireland. It is also sometimes known as “Reconciliation”. It was erected in 1991 in the early days of the N.Ireland peace process. Images of it are now commonly used as a symbol of the City of Derry. (This particular photograph has been used in that way by Derry City Council and the urban regeneration company Ilex.)

Craigavon Bridge, linking the “Cityside” and the “Waterside” parts of town, can be seen through the gap between the statues. To the left of the smaller statue is John Street, and then Carlisle Road. To the right of the larger statue is the shame-filled gap where the historic Tilly and Henderson shirt factory was demolished and then Abercorn Road.

The panorama was created by combining 24 separate digital photographs covering every angle and with bracketed exposures. Hence the detail has been captured both in the brightest areas of the sky and in the shadows between the statues.

The source images were shot in groups of three (bracketed with +2 and -2 stops) as Canon Raw images. They were stitched and blended together using a free, open source, program called Hugin. Hugin in turn invokes a program called Enfuse to create the HDR (High Dynamic Range) effect.

The Source images were shot on a Canon EOS 5d DSLR with a 16 mmm fisheye lens.

It is presented here in a form suitable for printing through the use of what is known as a “stereographic projection” whereby a rectangular panoramic image can be rendered as if on a globe.

Because of the way that it was created this is a very high resolution image (the equivalent of about 80-megapixels). It’s capable of delivering very fine detail even when printed at massive sizes.