Philo Gay has developed a method to capture extremely wide photographs by using an industrial linear scanning camera mounted on moving trains and ferries. The project, which culminated in February 2026 with images such as a 56,894 by 2,048 pixel grayscale photo taken from the San Francisco to Oakland ferry, was detailed in a 4,600-word blog post published on August 17, 2026.
The technique involves pointing a camera out of a moving vehicle to capture a continuous vertical line of pixels. As the vehicle moves, the camera records successive vertical lines, which are then stitched together to form a panoramic image. Gay presented this project at EMFcamp 2026, explaining the technical challenges and the process of capturing and assembling these images into a seamless wide photo.
This approach leverages the motion of trains and ferries as a scanning mechanism, effectively turning the railway network into a giant flatbed scanner. The project demonstrates a novel use of industrial linear scanning cameras outside traditional settings, producing high-resolution images that capture expansive scenes. Such innovation may inspire new photographic techniques in transport and industrial contexts.
Gay’s full presentation on this project is available on the EMFcamp 2026 media platform, and additional images can be viewed in the online gallery accompanying the blog post published on August 17, 2026.