The 360 Degree Panorama - Introduction
A great way to immerse your client is to create a 360 degree panorama. A 360 degree panorama is quite difficult to create. To give you an example, the panorama shown below was created using a Nikon D300 on a Bogen tripod. To pivot the camera around it's Nodal point, a special device called a Nodal Ninja was used. In order to capture all 360 degrees, 15 images were taken at steps of 24 degrees for each row. Five complete rows were taken to capture all 180 degrees of scene vertically. The focus, focal length, lighting, white balance, and speed were all manually computed and fixed to ensure consistency throughout the images. Each 12 megapixel images was shot in RAW mode to limit processing. Special software was used to stitch the 75 images into a Quicktime panorama. Finally, the Quicktime move was converted into a Flash panorama for the web.
Given that so many photos have to be taken in succession without moving the base, it is important to remember to firmly plant the tripod legs before capturing the panorama. As you walk around the rig and rotate the lens, be sure not to trip on the legs or snag the camera strap. If you take each photo as a triple bracketed exposure, you will have a better chance of making sure you captured the moment. Unfortunately, you will end up with three times more photos. Your choice. Either way, take care to take every shot. Remember, you will end up with a "hole" in your panorama if even one photo is missing during the stitching process.
The 360 panorama rig is shown on the next page.