Panoramas

 Just a very quick entry to shout about a new page on my website for panoramas. Each image links to an interactive full screen panorama.(Apologies to iPhone and iPad users but it's Flash based - working on a workround).
Top image is from Jupiter Artland, just west of Edinburgh. Middle is Elm Park in Dublin, a very underoccupied new business park. Bottom is Edinburgh's Conference Square at twilight.

All were shot on a rig that allows the camera body to rotate around the len
nodal point thus avoiding parallax misregistration.
And if you're wondering why the cross projection well it's simply that it's one graphic interpretation of a 180 degree by 360 degree view. Think of folding each of the square portions to form a cube.
To learn more on Interactive panoramas start at Panoramas.dk.

Twitter works? Fancy that!

I suspect that if you're reading this 'blog' you might be aware and accepting of the phenomenon of blogging and of Twitter in particular. But in case you're the Thomas in the room here's a little, a very little, story that might illustrate how it can work positively.

In January I was intent on getting to grips with producing interactive panoramas. I'd been dipping my toe in over the previous years but never got to produce a complete virtual tour. So one Saturday I headed to Edinburgh's QuarterMile to shoot a tour around this new 'village'.
During the following week I spent several hours putting two alternate format versions together and happy with the results so far I Tweeted it a couple of times including the QuarterMile hashtag.

The rest of the story is about QuarterMile discovering my Tweets, liking what they saw and seeing it's potential for their marketing, then getting in touch and both of us agreeing a licensing deal and it going online on their website.

Which brings me back to last summer when I asked an online list of photographers if they were using Twitter. Three or four answered instantly in the negative citing how effective face to face networking is. Which of course it is if you can get the appointment .... when you haven't got work on... if they like the look of your website ....... as opposed to the complementary and not mutually exclusive dead quick Tweet that can lead to the face to face.

A walk around Edinburgh's QuarterMile

Old hospitals never die, they just move away. Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary closed it's doors a few years ago and moved to the idyllic sounding Little France on the outskirts of the city. There it continues it's proud role in the city's health care. Founded by charter in 1736 this is in fact it's second major move with the recently vacated site at Laureston Place being occupied since 1879. See Wikipedia for a fuller history.
Recession or not the site is now being developed as a 'village within Edinburgh' with a mix of residental, recreational and office use. Situated just north of The Meadows and south of the city centre the site will no doubt prove very popular when it's completed over the coming years.
And as the development isn't finished so my 360º Virtual Tour also includes corners that haven't been touched. There are two formats available; Flash or Quicktime. Flash has a slightly lower filesize while Quicktime is higher quality but doesn't seem to like the Firefox Browser. And with Quicktime you should enable 'hotspots' for each scene to see where to click through for the next POV, while it's obvious with Flash.

Interactive Panoramas

Early days yet..... Over the break I was shooting and putting some QTVRs together. See them here (will open in a full screen browser) GlenCoe, Cramond and Leamington Lift Bridge. As you see I've still one or two issues to work through. Look out for linked tours in the future. Quicktime required..... download it here.

Christmas Ba Hum Bug

According to yesterday's Observer we are very much in 'thrift' mode. And how appropriate that Douglas at z360.com sent me this little ditty by Paddy Roberts from 1962. More 'post rationing' than Ba HumBug perhaps it never the less hits a spot.
(Opens in a new window. And if any one can tell me how Blogspot accepts .mp3 and .mov files I'd be very appreciative).

Great Panorama maker

Having just viewed Douglas Cape's pano for Seizure again I realize it may seem slightly esoteric to some of you. It certainly does for me. That's the featured art I mean. Douglas's work is much more accessible. See it here.

Interactive panos

Here's an email sent by my friend Douglas:

Hi Y'all

Latest Panoramic Tour!
"In SEIZURE, Roger Hiorns' most ambitious work to date, the artist precipitates an unexpected sculptural form within the fabric of a housing estate near London Bridge. SEIZURE continues Artangel's long tradition of transforming urban housing into large-scale immersive works of art."

Flash version (requires Flash 9, Broadband and a recent computer) on the front page of z360.com or directly at this URL:

http://www.z360.com/full/flashfull/seizure.htm

Hope you enjoy the blue show,
Yours Douglas