Schwandorf Town Square in Winter

The Schwandorf (Swan village) town square in winter. I had a hard time picking my Best Of for this year. For most of the last twelve months, my camera gear would've gathered dust if it weren't safely tucked away in the usual assortment of bags. While I became much more active in September, the panoramas I made at that time (documenting the last days of my former workplace before it was shut down) have some emotional value, but hardly qualify as "Best Of". So I narrowed it down to either the one you're seeing now, or another fireworks panorama from January 1st, 2010. Since I had fireworks before, you're stuck with another snowy winter night shot.

Even though I like the lots of different colors and the snow and I remember vividly setting up my gear in temperatures I'm definitely not comfortable with while a new-year's-slip-lumbago lingered, I had a hard time recalling why I even was at Schwandorf in the first place, since it's well outside my usual roaming grounds. It's a drive-by panorama, kind of spur-of-the-moment. It only happened because the scene caught my eye when I drove home from a day-long course near Regensburg.

Europe / Germany

Lat: 49° 19' 49.4" N
Long: 12° 6' 27.74" E

Elevation: 365m

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

Canon EOS 500 D + Sigma 8mm f/5.6, self-made camera bracket on a cheap tripod. Software: Enfuse, PTGui and Photoshop.