Virtual Reality Photography

360-degree and VR photography create an experience that flat images cannot — the sense of actually being somewhere. As headset technology improves and platforms for immersive content grow, the creative possibilities continue to expand. This section covers VR photography from the practical side: cameras and rigs, stitching and post-production, delivery platforms, and the creative considerations unique to images designed to be experienced rather than just viewed.

Insta360 Announces Titan Camera

Their professional lineup comes with all sorts of new specs. 

The new camera sports eight Micro-Four-Thirds sensors, outputting 11K footage. which is sure to look incredible. This would be the largest sensors in any single 360 camera available. It’s undoubtedly going to blow the competition out of the water when it comes to working with low light.

Harrowing 360-Degree Footage of California Camp Fire Aftermath

It’s one thing to read it in the news, but to take a somber drive through the devastation is surreal. 

Last month, Steve Cooper shot a short 360 documentary in Paradise, CA. In the Sierra Nevada foothills, the town was ravaged by the recent wildfires. Even though it happened a month ago, residents are only being allowed to return now.

Is Facebook Becoming a Virtual Reality Experience?

Have you ever thought about Facebook as a 3D experience? Engadget reports that at the mostly-annual F8 conference, which showcases what the social media giant has in store for the future, announcers introduced a new way users will be able to capture their images in 3D and also experience past images in a virtual reality setting. 

The KeyMission Could Have Been Nikon's Future, but it Isn't Anymore

Nikon released a trio of new cameras at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, all under a new umbrella called “KeyMission.” While two of them were mostly GoPro clones, the third was arguably the most interesting, and not just for its strange name and looks: The KeyMission360.

Insta360 Introduces Two Cameras for VR Shooters at CES

Insta360 aims to immerse consumers deeper into the world of virtual reality with two new cameras introduced this week at CES in Las Vegas. The company known for lightweight, portable 360-degree cameras introduced its eight-lens VR camera and the 6DOF Light Field Camera, a 128-camera array.

Fstoppers Reviews the Garmin VIRB 360: Cream of a Very Small Crop

Garmin, the same manufacturer who probably made your first GPS unit that’s now collecting dust in the glove box of your car, also makes cameras. I didn't know this until I cruised the 360-degree video section of B&H Photo looking for something to replace my 2017 Samsung Gear 360 that I was not so happy with (note to Samsung: a stitch line that moves is a dealbreaker).

Why the Standalone Oculus Go Is What the 360/VR Industry Needs

360-degree video is a great way to tell immersive stories. Until recently though, the experience hasn’t been all that accessible. Just to view 360-degree content the way it was meant to look, you’d need an expensive headset like an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive and a fairly beefy computer to run it on like a high-end Alienware or something with a powerful graphics card.

What 360-Degree Camera Makers Need to Learn From DSLR Manufacturers

I love 360-degree video. I've spent a bit of time with a few different brands on the market. While there are many things I love about the medium, the actual cameras aren't one of them. I don’t rave about them the way I do about perhaps a Nikon DSLR or Fuji mirrorless. That's because the manufacturers of these 360-degree cameras aren't making it easy. 

The Future of VR Won't Happen Until This Tech Becomes a Reality

The International Broadcasting Convention has just ended, but before wrapping up, there were some serious insights to the future of VR technology. Now, we may be seeing virtual reality being broadcast live in lieu of a regular TV event. 

Adobe Announces New Innovations in Premiere Pro, After Effects, and More at IBC 2017

Adobe is updating its video applications and adding new features across the board. Many of these features include improvements for editing virtual reality content, smarter automated tasks, and some other features modeled after Final Cut 7, which Apple announced will not be supported in its upcoming MacOS High Sierra update. 

Adobe, Apple on a Collision Course to Win Over 360-Degree Video Shooters

There’s a quiet 360-degree battle being fought behind the scenes at Apple and Adobe when it comes to your favorite non-linear video editing tools, Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro. Some recent hires hint at an expanding 360-degree video portfolio at both companies. 

Why Buy RED's Smartphone?

RED is entering a nearly impossible market, and promises to deliver a smartphone like no other – armed only with their reputation. What exactly stands in their way, and can the RED Hydrogen compete? Here’s everything you need to know about their chances.

Watch BBC Explain CGI in 1982

How far had computer graphics come in the early eighties? "Tomorrow's World," an old show on BBC, shows us just how far the tech had come – and how far it was going to go.

Samsung Updates Gear 360 With Live Streaming and Higher Resolution

While the phones and VR headset may have gotten the lion’s share of the attention at Samsung’s press event on Wednesday, there was also a new 360 degree camera introduced at the same time: the Samsung Gear 360. 

It’s a familiar name to 360 photo/video shooters (in fact, it’s the same as last year’s model) but this model’s packing a lot of updates for 2017.

360-Degree Video Finally Comes to Vimeo

With the prices of 360-degree cameras dropping every day, and more people embracing the medium, it was only a matter of time before more video streaming services joined the 360 party. Showing up fashionably late is Vimeo. The company announced support for 360-degree video on its blog yesterday. 

BTS: See How 'Rogue One' Used Virtual Reality Controllers to Guide Virtual Camera Movements

BBC Click shared a video that gives an in-depth look at the tools used by director Gareth Edwards at ILM London to better show computer graphics supervisor Steve Ellis his desired camera angles and movements throughout "Rogue One." Using just an iPad and an HTC Vive controller, Edwards was able to explore the virtual, computer-generated world to find the best shots, which were th

A Photo Exhibit Without Photographs?

As a photographer, I take and see a lot of photographs. As a photographer who does a fair amount of work for an art museum, I see a lot of art. So, I don't really know how to feel about this new concept I just found out about (via a user-submitted story idea! Go ahead and submit things!) that involves using a mobile device to view a photography exhibit...

Don't Knock VR Until You Try 360 Photos

Whether it’s all a gimmick or not, photos in virtual reality are amazing. They’re easy to create, and throw your audience into a straightforward, immersive experience. If you haven’t tried making one yet, you should.

What Does America Think of 360-Video? The Answer May Surprise You

Have you immersed yourself in 360 degree technology? What do you think of 360-degree video and its future? Nikon was eager to find answers to these questions by initiating and conducting a "Nikon Life in 360" national survey. According to Nikon's study, you're more than likely to put your hands on a 360-degree camera soon if you haven't yet.

First Ever 360-Degree View of Earth From Inside the International Space Station

When guests aboard the International Space Station look for a place to escape for a little rest and relaxation, options can obviously be limited. The “Cupola” was built in 2010 to provide astronauts with the best view possible while operating the ISS’s Mobile Services System’s robotic arm (the Canadarm2).

Matterport: The New Age of Real Estate?

Matterport is a new 3D camera that is designed to scan the interior of homes. The software stitches all of the still images together and creates a virtual tour of the home. Not a virtual tour as in a slideshow that realtors love, but one where you can actually walk through the home yourself. You can look up and down, left and right, move forward, backward, and so on.

What’s New in Adobe Premiere Pro 2015.3

Adobe has released Premiere Pro CC 2015.3. The new welcomed features are something I haven’t yet seen implemented in any other NLE. If you use Premiere, here is a look at what’s new, and if you’re not a subscriber, this might make you consider switching. 

Getty Makes a Massive Entrance Into Virtual Reality Space

Getty is the largest stock image provider in the world and it has now decided to become a major player in the 360-degree image and virtual reality space. This week Getty launched Getty Images Virtual Reality Group as part of their core offerings. With an initial addition of over 12,000 360-degree images, Getty is embracing the future of this fast growing sector. 

Get A Peek Into The Future of Virtual Reality with Tomorrow's Live Panel Discussion

The world of photography and imagery is a rapidly evolving field. As stills and video have been exponentially improving over the last two decades, a more advanced kind of imaging is making it's way onto the scene. Virtual reality is actually becoming a reality, and Fstoppers writer Douglas Sonders is one of the individuals leading the industry.

First Sample Footage From GoPro's Six-Camera Omni VR Rig

​GoPro released a new pro virtual reality camera rig called Omni, which is a cube-shaped system allowing the user to record in 360 degrees. This new frame, made from aluminum, sports a very compact look, and because of the metal used, it promises to be light and flexible under different circumstances. The proof lies in the new trailer released by GoPro.

For Better or Worse: This Year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Steps Into Virtual Reality

For an instant, she stares blankly out into the distance as she would for any photograph. But almost immediately, she takes notice. You're there. She turns her head, looks over, and then slowly turns back, looking down at her outstretched legs. Her eyes move slowly, looking down, as her chin lifts her gaze from the top of her legs to her feet. She's admiring herself — for you.

Castrol's VR Campaign Blurs the Lines Between Virtual and Reality

Whether your business is in photography, videography, or the evolving field virtual reality (VR), your job is to create a visual experience for your clients. As VR grows in popularity and in quality, its potential to create more immersive experiences in relation to more traditional media types increases immensely.

Nokia Announces Details on Their $60,000 Virtual Reality OZO Camera

I wrote about the OZO virtual reality camera that was teased by Nokia earlier this year. Much like Samsung and GoPro, they are taking a big gamble and put a lot of time and energy into virtual reality technology. After months of releasing vague teasers, they have finally announced details on their epic and expensive new camera system. Read below to see the stats. 

NSFW: A Behind The Scenes Look At A Virtual Reality Porn Shoot

The porn industry is a bit of an early adopter. It is some of the most consumed content and as such its creators are always keeping current with the latest technology to gain an edge over the competition and to bring the consumers the best and latest experience.

You Can Now Upload Your Virtual Reality Videos to Facebook

In case you did not know, virtual reality is a big deal. Thanks to Facebook's recent announcement that you can now upload and play 360-degree videos (they call it "spherical content") to your feed natively, it is now much easier to share your virtual reality videos to the average Facebook-using consumer, which is everyone — even my mom.

Lytro Shocks the World and Builds the Most Ambitious Virtual Reality Camera

Most of us know Lytro for their light field cameras that capture scenes in a way that allows you to refocus an image anywhere you want with the click of a button without having to take a new image. I'll admit, I thought it was a neat trick, but as a commercial photographer, I never saw how it would apply to someone like myself.

Creating Virtual Reality Test Drives for Car and Driver Magazine

Like it or not, 2016 is going to be a huge year for virtual reality content and technology. It seems like every major brand is dipping their toe in one way or another. Even Pixar is creating their own movie studio in order to create 360-degree films. Magazines are no exception for desiring and creating this content. It's a perfect way to immerse their readers into their content.

How We Created a Virtual Reality Video Using an Electric Ferrari

As Fstoppers' resident virtual reality content creator, I'm excited to share our most recent project we did for AOL. A few weeks back, the Autoblog/Translogic team flew my business partner and I to southern California and rented out a race track so we could film an awesome 1980s Ferrari that was converted to an all-electric high-performance sports car in virtual reality.