Sunday 29 December 2019

Be Generous - Go Large - Bring The Destination 360°

What could it possibly mean, "Be Generous" "Go Large" Bring The Destination - to life with 360° photography.  It's about thinking differently as to how we present who we are, where we are, and what to see - where we are.. and it's that last one that speaks to the idea of generosity as well. Hands up who has integrated local shots of their beautiful destination, outside the grounds of the resort or hotel, on their website? One or two of you? None! Why, why-would-you share a place, that's not your place? Why-wouldn't-you? OK if you have organised activities, day trips, you are going to be sharing those as part of a partnership. But what about some shots of what your guests can expect to see - even if they have been planning the trip for years, to this destination,  you can share your view of where you are too. Why? Because you care, because it's easy to do, it sets the tone of your resort, your hotel, it shows your generosity of spirit, and your place in this place.. wherever that place may be.
Hi-Fidelity 360° panorama of Burano, Venice Italy at Dawn. Photographed by Kent Johnson.
Yes I want to know what my hotel room looks like, the foyer and the front, so I can recognise it when I arrive. But why do I have to wade through a jumble of A.I. organised crowd-sourced pictures of where-you-are on Google maps; to try to get the feeling of where I am going to be. Why doesn't the hotel do this for me (without trying to onsell)? You can take the customer there yourself, on your website! You can do it, it's easy, it's just a few more, maybe only three or four custom pictures, of where you are.. So instead of being inside only - you can also be looking out, like several spots on the map "you are here" "we are here too". Now that's generous; like reception is when you ask advice on the best place to eat, to shop. This can happen on your website. So what would that look like, on your website? I'm glad you ask because I have prepared a sample, how it could look and work, like this; as visual bullet points of the resort, the area, why you are booking to stay with us - we care! Now just take a look at our place.. we know you are going to love it here.
Hi-Fidelity 360° panorama of a luxury resort hotel room, Mazzorbo. Travel photography by Kent Johnson.
Here's the demonstration below. We begin on the Venetian Island of Mazzorbo, at Venissa Wine Resort, we see a room, we see a Michelin Star restaurant, we see the vineyard. We also see Burano, as Mazzorbo and Burano are connected by a bridge, and San Marco too as they are connected by the Lagoon.. and in this series they are connected seamlessly by visual hotspots and you really get the picture of where you are, where you will be. It's easy when you have this special kind of high quality Hi-Fidelity 360° image to bring the visual feast to life. Small confession, the tour below leaves Venice, yes Venice our key Hotel and destination and includes a hotel in Como and also Milan; because it's my 360 hotels travel portfolio. Oh, and "Go Large', that works in more than one sense, 360° done well delivers a great feeling of the whole space, and the pictures are large - forget 4K these pictures below are double that and more; work very well on very large screens, and small ones like phones or VR headsets. Be generous, go large, bring the destination, give me a call, Hi-Fidelity 360° it works, and your clients will love it too.
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Hi-Fidelity 360° is like video only faster loading, can be animated, and lets the client view the images at their own pace and construct their own narrative in their own time. Would you like this for your business, please just call or email me.

Telling Stories in Pictures all over..
Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia & The World.
0433 796 863



Tuesday 17 December 2019

I Didn't Want To Become A 360° Photographer

This is the story of how I came to realise the potential of 360° photography - the pros and cons - from learning 'how it's done' to understanding how it can be done - much better.. Big call I know. I hope you are interested in joining me on this journey of discovery . If so please read on.

It started with travel. It was travelling and using Google maps. That was my start. Getting onto Google maps listings, checking reviews, seeing what's in the city, the town, the place I would be staying in. Looking at user uploaded photos and of course, also looking at the 360 panoramas, to decide if a park, an attraction, an historic site, was worth taking the time to visit, first I'd look it up. To see if a restaurant was good, and if the reviews seemed truthful and authentic enough to visit for a meal. What the restaurants presentation looked like.. I found Google Maps to be very helpful indeed.

Then sometime in 2017 I started to wonder if it might be worth uploading some of my photography to Google maps too? Would my pictures rise to the top, would anyone see them? Was placing pictures on Maps be a viable approach to marketing - by putting the pictures where the viewers were already looking - as opposed to trying to push them toward my own website? Well I decided to give it a go and I also became a 'Local Guide' too, it's all a part of the Google Maps program. I enjoyed the challenge of selecting one of my images of a well known (or not so well known) location; adding it to the Maps listing and seeing how it did, position, views, that sort of thing. That's the same Google Maps you have your Business Listing on by the way, it's all the same platform.

SPOILER ALERT - Since late 2017 and  just over 700 pictures on 'Maps' I have received over 4 million views, an online record for me.
Burano, Venice in Hi-Fidelity 360 panorama photography by Kent Johnson

One fateful day, I discovered there was a way, and only one way, that Google would provide a photographer with an Official Approved Photographer listing. It was, and still is the Street View Trusted Photographer (SVTP for short) a listing in the form of an outbound link - from them - yes an official Google link!!! This is not a Google search result, it is an official approved link - and I wanted it. Of course with over 20 years of professional photography experience, first I tried to wag the dog by the tail. I jumped into the Local Guides forums with my crazy great idea "Hey Google, we know not all photographers are equal, why can't I have a SVTP listing, my shots are worth it". And Google said "You need to upload 50 approved 360° Street View Photographs and then you can apply to be a SVTP". I made a bit more noise, then I just gave in, I didn't give up, I gave in.

I decided I would learn how to make full 360 Panoramas, complete Photospheres, 360° x 180°, 2:1 and Equirectangular photographs; those are all descriptions of the same thing by the way. Yes, I really wanted that listing and the link!

Though to be honest at this stage of the game, although I had found some 360° photographs interesting, and used street view to get a peek at a destination.. I thought the whole thing was really just some sort of gimmicky photography; because more often than not, the actual picture was just not that good, or was really over processed, like crazy look-at-me-Kimmie HDR! I wanted the link, and I did not plan on going past qualifying for that outbound link from Google. But like most things it was not that simple; as I slowly learnt the complex camera mechanical side & also the computational software aspects of making 360° photographs. And with these structural elements under control. I began to understand several things. That 360° photography was no gimmick, and made to the same exacting standards I already applied to all my professional photography; that it was a valid photographic form that could deliver images in a way classic photography struggled to do.

I started to see that these moving images could be a game changer in the rapidly evolving world of photography; which had already changed so much since I started out with film and prints made in the darkroom. The same creative challenges were here too; and had to be solved to create great and inspiring 360° photographs. I found the work of Master 360° photographers to study and help light my way. And I enjoyed engaging with those images from all over the world, spinning them around - taking the tours.. and viewing all there was to see! Photography is after all, no longer restricted to flat print publications, it can embrace all the functionality the internet and computers have to offer.

I came to understand there were other ways to present and view 360° photographs, that are completely independent of Google and the Maps platform. Approaches that are more flexible, customisable, personal ways to present 360 and engage an audience, online and off, with sophisticated design and superior user experience.
 Uluru Sails Resort in Hi-Fidelity 360 panorama photography by Kent Johnson

This was yet another multi layered learning experience, because a 360° photograph is not a static photograph, and as part of a tour interacts with other 360 images, incorporating sound and static images as pop ups, text, 360° photography; virtual tours, it's an evolving photographic platform within the web itself! And I am still learning about that, lets face it, the learning never stops.

So these further 'discoveries' were good news to me as I was already questioning whether the so-very-many picture data gathering approach method prefered by 'Maps'. Was really the right approach to tell the story of a place, or particularly positive in terms of user experience. What I wanted for myself and my clients was in line with the goals of classic commercial photography. That did not mean a lot pictures. That meant a hero shot that told a story, then another image, another distinctive view, a true story telling narrative created by they photographers vision. This is something I know well and that I knew from experience would deliver a greater impression and superior engagement from the viewer. Which is what we want, and that's a win for both the viewer and the client.

Three 360° portfolios - Sails Resort & Uluru - Sydney Ocean Pools - Hotels and Travel in Venice, all saying something a little differently, just as you would expect when they each have their own individual story to tell.

Click To Activate - Double Click for Full Screen - Recommended

Telling Stories in Pictures all over..


Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia & The World.
0433 796 863



Thursday 5 December 2019

Sails Ayers Rock Resort Yulara & Uluru In Hi-Fidelity 360°

Last month I was on assignment for White Caviar Life again, photographing at Uluru in the Northern Territory, Australia's 'Red Centre'. I took advantage of my time there add to my Hi-Fidelity 360 portfolio by making photographs of both the resort, it's iconic buildings and surrounds, and of course; the mighty rock, Uluru itself. The resort which was opened in 1984 was designed by Phillip Cox & Partners and just this year, 2019 received an Enduring Architecture achievement award. I was keen to do my best to capture the unique feeling of the architecture, this sailing ship of the desert. Although they are a distinctive feature the sails are not simply a design element. They are are real response to the need for shade in such a harsh and hot environment, one where shade trees are few and far between and difficult to grow. Done reading? Cut to the chase and view full Hi-Fidelity 360 HERE or scroll down to learn more.
Arkani Theatre Cultural Hub - Sails Resort Uluru Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
Wintjiri Arts + Museum - Sails Resort Uluru Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
Town Square Yulara - Sails Resort Uluru Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
Poolside Chill Zone - Sails Resort Uluru Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
In addition to the public spaces I also photographed two resort rooms. One from the original Sails development and a second at the Desert Gardens, a classic room with a view, of Uluru. Well with an outlook like that it was time to break out my HDR Hi-Fidelity 360 skills to bring the outside in - and the results I think speak for themselves. Great views, beautiful room shots with styling by Vivienne Shui from White Caviar life.
'Superior' Room with Desert View - Sails Resort Uluru Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
Desert Gardens Uluru Room - Sails Resort Uluru Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
And of course Uluru itself way out there in the red desert, with due care to respect and not to photograph the areas that are not meant to be seen by the local Anangu people. But should we talk about the flies!!! Well we were warned, and I have been outback before, though it had been a while. I did become quite proficient at shooing them away, hordes of them, though a couple, one or two frames from and early 360 have visitors I could have done without. By the end of that outing I had a pretty much fly proof approach to my technique and some strong images as well; the colours out there really are amazing and have not been enhanced at all.
Uluru East 'Mala' View  - Uluru National Park Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
Kuniya Walk - Uluru National Park Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
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Mutitjulu Waterhole Walk - Uluru National Park Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
Back at Yulara, tucked up on the hill behind the Wintjiri Arts Museum and Cultural Centre I found a special little lookout under the Coms Tower you can see from everywhere.. it was not on the resort maps. It looks out over the Tjintu Solar Field with clear views of Kata Tjuta which made for another 360, both scenic and outback industrial in nature. It also served as a terrific location for one of our lifestyle fashion shoots too, though you will have to wait to see that. It's always worth digging around a little to see what's there.
Tjintu Solar Field Lookout - Sails Resort Uluru Hi-Fidelity 360 Panorama Photography by Kent Johnson
At time of writing, I have 11 Hi-Fidelity 360 images currently in this beautiful online portfolio, with more to come. View the full 360 here https://www.hi-fidelity360.com/360Images/Uluru/app-files/index.html

If you are looking for a 360 Virtual Reality photographer who understands your business needs - please contact me, Kent Johnson to discuss your project. I am available for assignments world wide.

Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia - The World.
0433 796 863