Leo Kowal

Interactive 360° x 360° Panoramic Photography

Posted on 11. Dec, 2010 by Leo Kowal in Panoramic, Portfolio

The first time I saw a 360° x 360° interactive panoramic image, I was blown away and immediately knew it was something I wanted to do. I shot plenty of regular 360° panoramic images for the real estate industry back in the early 2000′s when I did side work for a California based company called 3CIM. My latest stint with panoramic photography literally puts the viewer in the middle of the scene. You can look 360° left and right as well as 360° up and down. This type of panoramic projection is also known as equirectangular!

Equipment Requirements

In order to accurately capture these types of images with minimal effort, I got my hands on these key pieces of equipment. Keep in mind that I am shooting a Nikon D90 which is a DX-sensor based DSLR. Although I have a 24-70 f/2.8 (FX Lens) and a 70-200 f/2.8 (FX Lens), I opted to get the 10.5mm DX lens so that I would get a true fisheye. When I tried the 16mm f/2.8, I lost a good 40+ degrees which would have required additional shots to create the same panorama. The 10.5mm f/2.8 only requires 7 photographs for a full 360° x 360° panorama! Very nice!

1. Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye Nikkor Lens

2. Manfrotto 303SPH QTVR Spherical Panoramic Pro Head (Black)

3. Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs (Black)

4. PTGui Pro

Panoramic Gallery

Note: After starting the panorama, click the Full Screen button to get the full experience! Bonus: Right-Click on the panorama (in full-screen) and select Little Planet View! Psychedelic drugs are optional.

Curtiss Street Apartments – Downers Grove, IL in USA

Lake Harriet – Woodridge, Illinois in USA

St. Patrick’s Cemetery – Lemont, IL in USA

Castaldo Park – Woodridge, IL in USA

Greene Valley – Naperville, IL in USA

Downtown Downers Grove in USA