Tiny Planet Project
It's not everyday you can look at a medium that has been around (for hundreds years) in a brand new way. 360 and VR (virtual reality) cameras are reinventing a new way to look at photography and videography. Some of the most impressive use of 360 video I have seen has been in Kendrick Lamars music video "Humble". In the video you can see a "tiny planet" viewpoint used as Kendrick rides his bike down the street.
So what is 360 photography/video? Basically you have a camera that takes an exposure of everything in a 360 degree space. This could be accomplished before the advent of what is now called "360 cameras" by taking a normal camera on a tripod (usually with a wide lens) and taking multiple images to gain coverage over the 360 degrees. Then you would take these photos into an editing software and stitch them together. Video on the other hand was much harder (impossible) until the invention of smaller cameras (GoPro, ect..) Now-a-days there are plenty of quality cameras designed for 360 photo/video and the one I have been using is the Ricoh Theta V.
So what kind of images can you produce with this camera?
There are a few different results that these cameras can produce and it all depends on how you manipulate it in post. In no specific order here are some ways to manipulate a 360 image:
1: Tiny Planet
As seen in the Kendrick Lamar video above and the images I have captured down below.,Tiny Planet is the term used to refer to images edited in this way. I'm sure you can see how this method got its name. This is my favorite way to manipulate 360 images.
2: True 360 Photos/Videos
I explain this method as the Google maps "street view" look. Most people who have used the internet know about google maps and have been able to go down to the "street level" and move around in 360 space. This is the style that 95% of my clients are looking for. Whether they be Real Estate agents trying to sell a home or Construction companies documenting their progress this is the most popular use of 360 for us here at GLP.
As with all new gear that I purchase I give myself a little passion project to use the equipment on. This does a few things:
1) It helps me understand the gear so when I have paying clients I know the equipment inside and out.
2) It helps me stay creative and work on my own projects.
3) It helps to open my mind to new creative possibilities I might not have thought of.
So without further ado here is my project that I am calling "Tiny Planets" It's just a collection of photos I have made while trying to learn this technology and seeing what is possible. Enjoy. Also check out our 360 page to see how the more interactive photos work.
- G
