Being given the opportunity to shoot the pictures used to give Tampa Bay Online readers a chance to immerse themselves in a virtual view of our community was incredibly exciting. Being able to work with the TBO team to create our own virtual tour of Tampa opened a floodgate of ideas and images that had become a part of me in my 15 years of photographing our great city.
I viewed the opportunity as a chance to take our viewers to places both familiar and places not normally visited by the public. A chance to see what I have seen and grown to love about our home.
Shooting the photographs presented some unique challenges though nothing that is beyond anyone interested in photography.
Simply put, one shoots a series of photographs in a circle. Spin in place and shoot photos encompassing 360 degrees all around. The number of photographs depends on the lens used and whether or not you are shooting vertical pictures or horizontal ones. The real magic happens in finding the right locations and times to make the resulting virtual world exciting when viewed in any direction.
My excitement peaked as I viewed the finished results for the first time. It really is like being there. The technology is still crude but it is a glimpse into the amazing world of 3D virtual experience that can be generated on a home computer.
Jim Reed has been a staff photographer for the Tampa Tribune for 15 years.
