Every so often, when visiting many of the iconic vistas across America, I’d struggle to capture the overwhelming awesomeness of the landscape around me.

Framing the image through my viewfinder frequently posed a tremendous challenge to adequately represent the expansive angle of the surrounding landscape.

That’s when I knew it was time to put down my Lumix and pick up my phone.

By turning to the panorama feature of my Samsung Galaxy S8,

I found a tool that brought me closer to recording longer distances.

By instantly and seamlessly stitching successive shots with integrated photo-manipulation software,

I found another way to express the world around me.

Panoramas provide an opportunity to share multiple perspectives simultaneously,

gathering as wide an angle as the scene allows–

–eliminating the frame lines and expanding the aspect ratio to maximum effect.

When used appropriately,

whether in color…

or black and white…

there is no better way to establish a field of infinite view without sacrificing the integrity of the image.

Conversely,

a case can be made for showcasing the apparent aberrations and distortions that can arise from difficulty interpolating the multiple parallax points across a scene,

thus creating something unique and/or imaginary.

For instance, flattening a circular garden path…

or warping a linear edifice.

Additionally,

by stepping away from the camera,

and freeing oneself from the single-mindedness of staring,

focusing,

composing through a viewfinder,

a feeling of liberation arises,

which can also deliver a moment of greater clarity of vision…

and kinetic connectedness to the photograph,

as the body slowly rotates to encapsulate the scene.

What follows is a retrospective of panoramic images of some of my favorite places,

in an attempt to convey the diversity and beauty of wide-open spaces across America,

albeit,

with a word of advice:

Although this post can be enjoyed on a mobile device,

many of the images are rich in detail,

and are best viewed on a larger screen…

to better take advantage of the breadth,

the scope,

the scale,

and enormity of the subjects.

Also,

my apologies in advance to those who are downloading on slow networks,

for the generous number of photographs with large data files…

may make it seem like an eternity before everything eventually loads.

But such is the case when shooting a photograph.

The virtue of patience…

is ultimately rewarded…

by the satisfaction of knowing that the final image can finally be appreciated.