The Great Picture

July 29, 2011 6:21 PM

Southern California Public Radio Reports (article [audio and video available inline]): Five years ago, a team of photographers created the world’s largest photograph by converting an Orange County jet hanger into a giant [pinhole] camera. The 30-by-111 foot image — called “The Great Picture” — is now on public view [at the Culver Center of the Arts] for only the second time in the U.S. Displaying the giant snapshot can be a monumental challenge. Making it was a lot harder (slyt).

Continued from the main article: The silvery black and white image is like an abstract panoramic cave painting. Along a horizon line that splits the twin runaways from the sky and San Joaquin Hills, you can make out a control tower, buildings, giant antennae and even a couple of palm trees. The Legacy Project team created the photo by transforming a 160-foot wide, 80-foot tall aircraft hangar into a giant camera obscura — a dark room.

The "world’s largest photograph" link was found in Krapulous' comment here.

posted by troll (10 comments total)

OK, let's all go look for a reproduction of adequate size.
posted by FLAG (BASTARD WATER.) (Acorus Adulterinus.) at 6:47 PM on July 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Reproductions of Adequate Size? I don't think they exist.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 7:22 PM on July 29, 2011 [7 favorites]

El Toro for the Devildogs out there.
posted by hal_c_on at 7:40 PM on July 29, 2011

Very interesting.
posted by carter at 8:03 PM on July 29, 2011

Also, Guinness confirms that this is the world's largest ratio of original to thumbnail on the whole internets.
posted by dhartung at 10:06 PM on July 29, 2011

This is incredible - thank you!
posted by glaucon at 10:49 PM on July 29, 2011

Very interesting concept--couldn't they have found a hanger with a more interesting view to shoot?

Bleah.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:30 PM on July 29, 2011

I bet they were pleased that they could leave out the stop bath.
posted by captainsohler at 11:46 PM on July 29, 2011

couldn't they have found a hanger with a more interesting view to shoot?

The view is incidental to the larger Legacy Project, which according to the mission statement "is dedicated to producing comprehensive documentation of the shuttered El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and its transformation into one of the nation's largest metropolitan parks," which hal_c_on alluded to above.

The post could use some more context and polish but I accidentally clicked Post instead of Preview, so here it is.
posted by troll at 11:54 PM on July 29, 2011

hung a single, seamless piece of light sensitive muslin cloth

Them dang muslins get in ever'where!
posted by kcds at 12:00 AM on July 30, 2011