When I found out about New York 360, I couldn't wait to write about it for the first issue of QLife New York. This Facebook page is the creation of New York photographer Irina Smirnova who is on a mission to bring 360° experiences of New York to the world.
“I love the technology! I'm a geek. I saw what my friends in the Ukraine were doing with 360 cameras, I wanted to do that for New York,” said Irina. “I love New York City and I know a lot of other people love it, too. People who have been, people who want to come back, and even the people that live here and don't know what they are missing every day.”
People are fascinated with 360 images. Facebook and other social media sites have made 360 experiences very easy. With cell phone cameras, you can only capture a fraction of a panoramic shot. With a 360 camera you pretty much shoot and upload and Facebook and Youtube automatically recognize the file type and let you create a 360/VR experience for the viewer.
Irina started taking 360 shots about two months ago. "You can produce 360 shots with any D-SLR and a super wide angle lens or fisheye lens,” said Irina. “But the problem is stitching it, and you have to inject metadata into the file for the social media sites to recognize it as 360 picture.”
“Do you know how many friends I have in the city that have never been to the new Brookfield Place? To the new Occulus? I'm taking people on tours to these places with this new technology!"
VR headsets are becoming more affordable, too. "I have a bunch of friends who enjoy my 360 videos while using their VR headsets and get the experience of actually being there with me, taking a walk around Grand Central terminal etc.," said Irinia.
New 360 cameras have 2 lenses facing opposite directions, each capturing an 180° view in a single shot. The resulting photo looks like a panorama, but by using some proprietary software you can stitch them into globes or avant-garde pictures. Irina continued my education in 360 tech, “The camera software stitches the images together into one panoramic file that Facebook and YouTube automatically recognize.”
The 360 images and videos are truly immersive. The capabilities go far beyond what your cell phone can capture.
Irina has already catalogued dozens of iconic views of New York in the New York 360 Facebook page, as well as several videos, including Times Square, Union Square Park, the New York Stock Exchange, Broadway, Columbus Circle, The Occulus, and Central Park.
Some of the globe images have gained popularity for their artistic look and Irina has started selling the prints to help fund the project.
Visit https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkCity360 and view New York like you've never seen it before.
