Horse Guards Parade Interactive Panorama

Purpose:
As a regular photographer at Trooping the Colour, with thousands of photos of the event online, I have often received emails from future visitors where they might find "Stand E", the "Inner line of Sentries". An interactive panorama can answer these questions, and provide further information for visitors and media (the press stands are also covererd).

The grandstands seem to be the same every year, so this panorama is used for Trooping the Colour and the two rehearsals ("The Major General's Review" and "The Colonel's Review), and for the two big music events - Beating Retreat by the Household Division and by the Royal Marines.

A special version for the press, with media stand information for Trooping the Colour and Beating Retreat, is here:
j.mp/qbp-press-stands

Interactive Panorama on the Trooping the Colour website (showing the integration into a complete different website):
Trooping the Colour website

Equipment used:

  • Canon 5D Mark II with Really Right Stuff L-Plate
  • Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L USM lens
  • Gitzo G1325 carbon fibre tripod
  • Really Right Stuff BH-55 ball head and Multi-Row Pano Elements Package

How it was done: The photography was done right after a mid-week rehearsal at Horse Guards Parade, when the place was relatively empty. A single row of 3 x 15 photos at different exposures (focal length 40mmm, portrait) has covered all relevant information.

The resulting images have been edited, then stitched together, edited again, and then turned into a cylindrical panorama.

Technical information:
This interactive panorama exists in two different versions: One is using, if available, the Adobe Flash Player, the other uses HTML5. The Flash version allows viewing in screen mode, the HTML5 version works on almost all devices that don't have Flash (Apple mobile devices).

Detail information exists twice as well: For any device with a moveable cursor, information shows up when the cursor is moved over an area of interest. On touch-only devices like smartphones and most tablets, there is no cursor, and touching the screen is very different from moving a cursor.

For touch device, a different way of presenting information has been added: An information button toggles green information markers. Tapping on any of the markers pops up information related to the marker. The information is shown on the right of the marker, and at some distance, so it's not hidden by the tapping finger.