Photography News Issue 39

Photography News | Issue 39 | absolutephoto.com

17 Technique

Photographer #2: Charlie Case on creating virtual tours of London We caught up with photographer Charlie Case who’s been documenting London with Kodak’s Pixpro 360 cameras to find out how his amazing spherical views and VR footage was captured. Charlie’smotivationwas the sharing aspects VR, which allows others to experience places they can’t visit in person: “Living in London has given us a great opportunity to go to some unique places that just aren’t available around the rest of the UK. I always thought it would be nice to digitally show what certain venues look like when telling stories about them – and the 360° view gives the user a more immersive experience that cannot be replicated using a conventional 2D image or video.” Having shot a variety of footage and styles with the cameras, including time-lapse video, 360° movies and tiny planets he thought this ‘tour’ application would be a great way of using the 360° capabilities. Using the Pixpro SP360 4K Dual Pack, which consists of two cameras mounted back to back (“this is how we were able to achieve true 360°”), Charlie shot a series of short videos in 2880k resolution and a square 1:1 aspect ratio: “this meant we had a choice of frames to pick from in very high resolution and could easily stitch it all together using the Pixpro stitch software.” “Shooting with the Pixpro SP360 4Kis straightforward,”he continues,

“and we just had to consider where the stitch of the two cameras would be and judge how the lighting would affect the output. “We also had to think about the location of the camera as we wanted to position it to get the best view in each bar that was shot, but also give a realistic experience as if the user could be in the room themselves.” To keep himself out of view the cameras and dual mount were positioned on a tripod and shooting was triggered wirelessly using the free Pixpro app, “to control the cameras while I hid out of shot”. With the footage captured, a mixture of post-production software wasusedtocreatethefinaltourswith “Adobe After Effects used to capture the final frame, Adobe Photoshop to remove the tripod and clean up any

stitching and lighting issues, and finally PANO2VR to produce the tour and Adobe Illustrator to create the tour controls.” Charlie told us that reception to the virtual tours has been excellent, particularly when the technology was showcased at this year’s Photokina event, using an iPad for control and a large screen to showcase the project on a much bigger scale. “The bars have also been very enthusiastic and want to use the project for themselves, so it shows how the world of 360 can be really integrated into multiple industries.” And his next project with Kodak Pixpro? “We’ll be exploring the world of 3D 360° videowhich, as you can imagine, takes user immersion to a whole new level”.

Attach it to

anything!

Pixpro 360s have a regular 1/4in screw mount, allowing them to be mounted to almost anything

It’s all very well shooting exciting locations in astonishing VR, but how do you mount the camera? Well, that’s just as innovative. To make the most of the Kodak Pixpro 360 range’s capabilities, each model in the series has a regular 1/4in screwmount on its underside. This allows it to be mounted to almost anything, and if you pick up the Pixpro SP360’s accessory pack along with the camera, you’ll have all you need to get started. The pack lets you easily position the camera on a headband, cycle helmet, handlebars, a surfboard, window pane, and loads more via a selection of adhesive pads. Plus you get a waterproof case to increase its protection from splashes and dust for shooting in those more extreme environments. You can buy the Kodak Pixpro SP360 4K along with the Extreme Pack for around £380, and the latter includes: Standard Housing, Waterproof Housing, Suction Cup, Bar Mount, Vented Helmet Strap for Top Facing, Vented Helmet Strap, Head Strap, Surfboard Adhesive Mount, Flat Adhesive Mount, Curved Adhesive Mount, Extended Arms and Quick Clip. For more information, check out kodakpixpro.com/Europe.