Photographer Pat St. Clair has a couple more panoramic images from Thursday’s big night for the Democratic Party at Invesco field in Denver.
Above is a still shot from his vantage point near the Jumbotron behind the media pavillions. St. Clair made it from three fisheye images stitched and interpreted usung PTGui Pro 7.8 on a McBook Pro. The original size image is here.
Go here for a dynamic four-image shot that captures the enormity of that historic evening.
Unlike St. Clair, I was in Denver without the benefit of a Press Pass or professional photographic equipment and struggled to capture my own memories with the rudimentary camera in my iPhone.
Judge for yourself the quality of the iPhone’s camera by clicking on the gallery thumbnails. Large pics and descriptions after the jump.
It took 3 hours for this crowd to negotiate the entry protocol and make it inside the stadium. I only witnessed a few instances of “line rage.” For the most part, we sheeple were docile and friendly and resigned to the inconvenient truths of public life in the post-9/11 world.
In the event of a sheeple rebellion, on the other hand, there were plenty of black-suited gendarmarie casting a watchful eye, if not a loving gaze, over the proceedings. I should mention security personnel were great about making sure the crowd stayed hydrated during the hot, mile high afternoon – they passed out thousands of bottles of free water during the entrance ordeal.
Once we got inside, it was party time. Here’s Stevie Wonder on the Jumbotron from my vantage point in Section 519.
As the sun went down the drama of the evening began to build, providing a stirring environment for many of the “Regular Janes and Joes” who spoke before Obama took the stage.
Among the more memorable lines was delivered by a lifelong Republican farmer from Indiana. He wore a red and white checked shirt and a flat-top crew cut, and he drew a mighty roar from the crowd when he said, “I want to vote for a candidate who cares more about Barney Smith than Smith Barney!”
There was no shortage of American flags in evidence, from tiny lapel pins to hand-held wavers, to gigantic banners and even the evergreen flag fashionable shirts and pants and hats that have been staples of convention-wear since at least 1968.
In the end, Barack Obama stood alone on stage, basking in the adulation of a newly energized, wildly hopeful crowd of supporters. Then he was joined by his family, the Biden family and Democratic Party honchos to face the TV cameras amid bursting fireworks and raining confetti, smiling and waving to a mostly impressed nation.
The next two and a half months will test the candidate and his organization mightily. It says here he will beat John McCain going away on November 4th, but in January, when he stands on the steps of the US Capitol and takes the historic oath of office as the first Black president, the real test will begin for Barack Obama, the latest embodiment of our American Dream.
