The stitched together and zoomable photos have become a popular phenomenon in the photo world, allowing people to find themselves in the crowd and tag themselves with Facebook. Sports photographer veteran Bruce Ely handled the gigapans for the playoff games in the Bay Area and says they were a way to experiment with the evolution of photography.

“I’ve always liked incorporating technology into photography and lately this is the one I’ve been into,” he says.

To make the photos, Ely says he first tries to find a spot that both covers a good swath of the stadium and is compositionally interesting. Many of the gigapans that MLB has used from various photographers, including Ely, are shot from the back of the stadium or from the scoreboard, which allows the photographer to capture as much of the stadium as possible.

But Ely’s favorite gigapans so far are the ones he’s shot from the upper corner of the Giant’s AT&T Park above right field. Instead of just the stadium, the photo captures part of the Bay Bridge as well as the famous kayakers and boaters out in the bay.