Framed prints
The only way to really appriciate the level of detail in these images to view them printed. The prints on this site come in two avaliable sizes. Square 30x30cm (the size of a 12" vinyl record sleeve) and rectangular 60x30cm.
They're mounted in a high quality matt black aluminum frame with a glazed front. Another unique feature is they're hangable in any orintation.
Custom sizes can be arranged.
Process of capturing the image
There are numerous ways to create a stereographic projection (some more efficient than others). To help get your head round one of these peculiar images, I’ve loosely covered the process required to capture one.
Equirectangular projection
Before I can map out a stereographic image, a full 360 degree panorama must be created. The technical term being an equirectangular projection. The image is twice as wide as it is high and contains all the visual information for an entire scene. Picture it like a bubble image that's 360 degrees around and 180 degrees top to bottom then sliced and flattened out.
Tools
As with most things, having the right tools for the job makes a difference. I currently shoot with a Fish-eye and Canon DSLR.
By having such a wide angle lens, I’m able to to capture more of a scene with each shot, therefore less photos need to be taken. This can be beneficial for speed and accuracy when producing the desired image.
Environment
Choosing the the right location is important to how the final image will come out. There are a few factors that need to be considered before taking the shot.
Making sure there aren’t too many moving objects in the scene can be important. Because multiple shots are required, if an object crosses over from one shot to the next, stitching the images together later can be tricky.
When taking a photo of symmetrical elements it’s important to make sure the camera is as centrally aligned to them as possible. That way, when it comes to the projection stage the image will feel balanced. Shadows and reflections can be an issue; there are ways to be clever with the shot set up to help avoid this.
Preparation
Manual camera set up is crucial. First I will take some test shots to make sure the exposure, focus, and white balance will be consistant across each image.
One of the most important factors that needs to be considered is parallax. This is the difference or displacement in the apparent position of objects in front of the camera. If I take a picture from one position, then move the camera slightly and take another, the two images will show different perspectives. This causes errors later when trying to blend the two images. To avoid this issue, the camera must be rotated around a specific point, this is referred to as the Nodal point.
Note: This image sequence shows the effect of parralax. As the camera pans from left to right a different perspective is seen. If the camera was rotated on the nodal point directly infront of the foremost lego guy, the furthest lego guy should never be visible.
Capturing
I use different methods for taking the photos. The most common being freehand; I will take photos while rotating the camera closely as possible around the Nodal point. I will then take one looking up and down. This method works best outdoors where objects are further away and not as easily affected by parallax.
The most accurate method is to use a specialised panoramic head. This attaches to a tripod and enables the camera to rotate directly around the Nodal point. This is ideal if I’m shooting in a confined space, or at night when the camera needs to be in a fixed position.
Processing
The captured images now need to be stitched together to create the aforementioned equirectangular image. This is where the computer comes in. The images are loaded into an application called PTGui Pro, which will attempt to match them by creating control points. Once the application can see how each image correlates to the next, it’s able to warp them so they can be cleanly blended together. Stitching errors sometimes occur on the overlaps, these must be corrected in order to create a seamless image.
The final stereograph
Once satisfied with the equirectangular image, I can finally create the stereographic projection.
The projection point can be set to either Nadir (looking at the ground) or Zenith (looking at the sky). Nadir will produce a planet-type effect, and the Zenith usually a tunnel-vision effect. I’m not limited to up or down projections however; I can pick any point on the image, creating a range of effects.
Once happy with the projection point the image is ready to be rendered out at full resolution, printed, mounted then shipped to you – boom, done!