Panoramic Photography
PANORAMA
[pan-uh–ram–uh, –rah-muh]
noun
- an unobstructed and wide view of an extensive area in all directions.
- an extended pictorial representation or a cyclorama of a landscape or other scene, often exhibited a part at a time and made to pass continuously before the spectators.
What is panoramic photography and what distinguishes it from simply taking a photograph with a wide-angle lens?
Human vision has an average field of view of about 200° by 100°,an aspect ration of 2:1 and may be termed panoramic. Our normal interpretation is a panoramic view of the world we travel through. Panoramic photography is typically defined as images with an aspect ration of 2:1 or larger, the resulting images taking the form of a wide strip, having aspect rations of 4:1 and sometimes 10:1, covering fields of view of 360 degrees!
We create several types of panoramic photography, from cylindrical photographs to fully immersive and interactive 360° spherical virtual tours.
High-Resolution Cylindrical Photography
These types of images can be printed at extremely high resolutions and print sizes. They can incorporate partial or full 360 degree images in varying aspect ratios, depending on the client specifications. These type of images are great for both print or digital presentations, such as an interactive “giga-pan” web interface which allows the user to interact and zoom the resulting image with a high degree of detail.
We have the ability to create these images from both the ground and as aerials using GPS controlled accuracy to create view studies for architecture.
Aerial panoramic view study photography has become a necessary part of the design process in modern real estate development. High-resolution aerial imaging is an invaluable tool to show current, real-world perspectives, assisting architects with site planning, design, orientation, and interior layout for their projects.
SPHERICAL PANORAMIC VIRTUAL TOURS
Using high resolution digital cameras and wide or “fish-eye” lenses and stitching software, a series of images can be taken and stitched together into an image which encompasses the full 360 X 180 view. These images viewed through a software program to allow the viewer to interact in a fully immersive experience and navigate from image to image. These types of images often contain multiple points or “nodes” creating a tour, and are most often used to market real estate.
HURRICANE IKE AERIAL TOUR
This aerial virtual tour is of the Bolivar Peninsula on the Texas coast. This tour shows the damage just after Hurricane Ike in 2008 and compares it to the current state in 2017.
VIEW STUDIES
Interactive panoramic photography provides architects and designers precise view information to assist them as they plan and design building layouts and interior configurations. View studies allow us to capture the panoramic view, at very accurate elevations and at a high pixel density, which is representative for a specific floor of a future building or high rise. These view studies can help demonstrate the views relative to existing buildings surrounding a site and help architects to fully optimize the placement to take advantage of each site’s unique configuration and environment.
High-resolution aerial imaging and panoramics are extremely useful to help determine the positioning of structures within a project site. Aerial panoramic view studies can create a “stack” of views representing multiple levels to help determine optimal building placement. These view studies can help demonstrate the views relative to existing buildings surrounding a site and help architects to fully optimize the placement to take advantage of each site’s unique configuration and environment.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Nowhere is this more true than in real estate development. The stakes are high and include concerns from stakeholders on every side of the so-called development table. Investors, lenders, government agencies, community groups, and neighborhood businesses and residents all have a stake in the impact a new development will have on their interests
Aerial and panoramic images add striking, high-definition realism and create convincing, immediately accessible presentations. Whether as standalone photographs, incorporated into rendering backdrops, or as interactive 360 degree visuals, aerial and panoramic images create dramatic and visually rich presentations that help the audience “see” the end product. Using super high-definition view photography enables developers to communicate their vision at a whole new level, whether to municipal planners, investors, prospective users, development partners or members of the community.