400 feet above the Fraser River: Vancouver's latest gigapixel panoramic photo

Art enthusiasts and Internet pirates will have the opportunity to own a rare view of Lower Mainland, British Columbia, with the click of a button.

Shot 400 feet above the Fraser river, “Skybridge” is the latest Gigapixel photo by Vancouver photographer Eric Deis.

View the zoomable Gigapixel photo by clicking the image below:

Launched October 15, during Vancouver’s first city-wide photography festival, Capture, Elissa Cristall Gallery presents a unique online exhibition of Deis’ work that modernizes art collecting within our culture of the mobile-web.

“Our creative industries are making radical transformations in the wake of the internet and mobile technologies. Music, publishing, and television have had to reinvent themselves in a world of Netflix, eBooks, and MP3s. Visual art is one of the last holdouts.” says Deis.

Deis hopes to change this. In stark contrast to the traditional practice of selling limited edition prints, of which his images fetch between $5,000 – $8,000 he is doing something unusual – letting anyone download and print “Skybridge” for their personal collection.

“I’ve always struggled with the fact that many people love my photographs, but not everyone can afford them. This is my attempt to make art accessible.” says Deis. The Digital Collector’s Edition of “Skybridge” is available for free download at print size of 16”W (40cm) and available for purchase in multiple sizes up to 518” (1315cm) x 142” (360cm). Each download is accompanied with a personal-use license that allows the owner to print “Skybridge” on any material, including canvas and giclée. The image can be downloaded directly from Elissa Cristall Gallery’s special projects website: http://projects.cristallgallery.com

Designed specifically for mobile, the online exhibition of “Skybridge” is built using the same technologies as Google Maps. Allowing visitors to zoom into the 360 degree ultra-high resolution image and enjoy the panoptic view encompassing New Westminster, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, and Coquitlam.

By allowing people to download his work, Deis believes it will increase appreciation for fine-art photography. “My partner had no exposure to art before we moved in together. Now she can’t imagine living without it. You can’t really understand the effect it can have unless you’ve had the opportunity to own a significant work of art. Here’s your chance.”

Eric Deis is a contemporary Canadian photographer working in Vancouver, Canada. His minutely detailed large-format photographs expose extraordinary moments hidden within regular circumstances. Deis was born on a Canadian military station in Haida Gwaii. He is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego (MFA) and Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, Vancouver (BFA). His artwork has been exhibited internationally and is in the collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery. His website is http://ericdeis.com

Image: Eric Deis