Digging the Same Hole Deeper

I quoted an oriental-seeming proverb in Slow Road Home (or made it up, I can't remember which) that "wise man finding no treasure, does not keep digging in the same hole." Well, yes. And No.

In this place and time--Goose Creek, here, today, is treasure--of the senses, of personal meaning and belonging; treasure of comfort and beauty, and treasure in the riches of being able to share it with others through words and pictures. I haven't tired yet of writing about it, or in sharing the minutiae of day by day changes and discoveries in pictures of the same old barn, creeks, valley and woods. I seem inclined to keep on digging.

So any skills or tools I can acquire that help me go deeper in this same small place are welcomed and I hope will be put to good use with the light and time I'm given here.

One such tool, I read about a couple of years ago--an experimental technology that would take many photographs--not just three to five horizons side by side--and stitch them together seamlessly. That program, developed by a couple of young guys from UBC is called Autostitch, and it has recently been released in demo mode for free! Well hot dang Skippy! Often, a single shot of a scene through the lens of a camera is like viewing the Grand Canyon through a soda straw while the eye takes in so much more of the vista. Patching a dozen shots into one: there's got to be a time and place when this is just what's needed to best share the experience of being and seeing.

I only had about 30 minutes of light from the time I downloaded the Autostitch panorama software until full shadow, and ran outside with the camera to take six shots; three at the level of the road and house, and three up above of the treetops and forest above the house. This is the product--low res, not wonderful composition, but amazingly seamless and hands-free stitching. Tweaks are possible, and somewhat higher-resolutions as well. But for me, with most of my "finished products" going to the web and not to photopaper, this will be a great tool to help find more treasure in this deep valley.

You can read more about it here.

Addendum: I'm slipping. Missed a perfect opportunity for double entendre/word play by not calling this post "Digging the Same Whole Deeper". Shucks.