360° Panoramic Photography
Commercial Drone Services
360° Immersive Virtual Tours
Photography Workshops
Online Sales and Downloads
Blogs and Journeys
Scotland360° - Interactive 360° Photography
"Photography is like exploring a new dimension, only I can go there but I can show you where I've been." - Destin Sparks
360° Panoramic photography is addictive. It's technically challenging, relies heavily on the use of technology and requires specialised hardware and software. It's a massive thief of time - but it's hugely rewarding.
This page tells the story of the development of my own 360° photography. Examples range from high resolution images captured with a DSLR, through drones and to "one shot" cameras capable of both stills and video.
It's been a fascinating journey and a steep learning curve both in understanding the technicalities of hardware and software. But the challenges have been part of the fun, particularly with the development of Virtual Tours.
My collection of 360° cameras and kit has evolved to meet my own needs and gives me the range of flexibility I need for the photography I specialise in. With the ability to capture panoramic photos on land, at sea and in the air, both above ground and in the water, I have a range of capability consistent with my photographic objectives.
Digital SLR 360°
Digital SLR cameras undoubtedly provide the highest resolution photography. Setting up the camera on the panoramic head and the the head to the tripod takes time. Capturing 120 bracketed exposures takes time.
Cloud movement on a windy day is one of the big challenges. However the benefits of detail, control of exposure and final resolution are hard to beat.
The panorama above is one of my early panoramas taken in 2009 on the summit of A'Chailleach in the Fannich hills.
Explore A'Chailleach Summit
Drones & UAV 360°
Drones, or UAVs are a relatively new dimension of 360° panoramic photography. They provide completely unique perspectives on familiar views and the level of detail is increasing with each new generation of drones.
Perfecting 360° aerial panoramas has been a journey of discovery. Metering and exposure behave differently whilst capturing the sky has its own process.
The island of Scalpay near to Tarbert in Harris features above. How much detail can you see as you look around the view?
See Scalpay from the air
Twin Lens 1 - Shot 360°
Balranald Hebridean Holidays campsite is a family run business on the west coast of North Uist in a beautiful setting, with excellent facilities and provides a great base from which to explore the Uists.
Talking to Anne the owner of the campsite, I offered to take some photographs of the Pod, for advertising, using a one shot camera, ideal for capturing small spaces in 360°.
If you're in North Uist and would like to experience the Corncrake Glamping Pod, this is what it looks like inside.
Balranald Glamping Pod
A 360° Selfie
More 360° panoramic fun at Knockfarrel....
One of my recent investments has been a motorised panoramic head which is helping considerably to streamline my workflow.
Taking the rig (literally) for a "spin" at Knockfarrel, it was an opportunity to have some fun with a 360° selfie shot.
This is definitely going to be a very useful bit of kit....!
Aerial Panorama - Knockfarrel
The vitrified pictish Iron Age fort at Knockfarrel has spectacular views in every direction.
North to Ben Wyvis, the view swings round eastwards to the Cromarty Firth, south to the Cairngorms and west towards the hills of Strathconon.
The view from the drone is even more spectacular... Try it in full screen.
Punching through the Wave
Whilst my main focus was originally on stills photography, I also enjoy a developing interest in interactive 360° video. Sea kayaking is a superb platform for the use of video as demonstrated by the short video clip below.
A sea kayaking trip along the Moray Coast and to the Bow Fiddle Rock included a stop for lunch on Cullen Beach.
Setting off from the beach, the sea was beautifully calm except for one solitary wave heading in to the shore.
Too good an opportunity to miss, the 360° camera was switched on as I set myself up to paddle out to meet the wave.... I have slowed down the moment of breaking through the wave. Pan around and enjoy the action in full 360° viewing. This is a high resolution video which you can pan and zoom on screen.