Taking Photographs for the Virtual Tour
Setting up the Tripod and Camera
Taking photographs for the Virtual Tour is quite simple once you understand the process. Each interactive panorama is made up of 16 photographs taken in sequence, as the camera is rotated around a central axis. To keep the camera rotating in exactly the right increments, we use a special tripod, shown on the right.
Setting up the tripod properly is essential to taking useable photographs for the Tour. If the tripod is lopsided or improperly adjusted in any way, the entire shoot will probably have to be redone. If nobody has personally demonstrated proper tripod setup to you, I suggest that you get out the tripod and camera to follow along with this tutorial as you read it.
First, extend the legs to a useful height. In the photograph to the right, the legs are extended halfway. In most photography situations, you will extend them all the way to better approximate a standing person's point of view. To extend the legs, unsnap the gray latches located at the bottom of each leg. Then pull the legs out to their desired length and resnap the latches to lock the legs in place. Make sure the tripod is level by checking the bubble levels on the mounting head. The bubbles should be centered in both of the yellow cylinders.
Next, attach the camera. On the tripod head there is a metal block with a threaded peg through it. Arrange the metal block so that it is vertical and align its right edge with the "35 mm" line on the tripod head as shown in the photo above and on the left. Now screw the threaded peg into the threaded hole in the bottom of the camera. Tighten the screw until it feels firm, but do not over-tighten it. Let the camera hang down so that it is perpendicular to the floor. It should look like the photograph above right.
Taking the Photographs
Set up the tripod in a central location in the lab. Tripod placement is a skill that cannot be explained in a tutorial. With experience, you will develop a feel for it. Try to get as much of the room into the camera's view as possible, and ask your guide (the professor or grad student) if there is any particularly important equipment that should be prominent. Turn on the camera's LCD screen and briefly rotate the tripod head in a complete circle to see what that camera will capture.
Once you have established your position, rotate the camera to an interesting part of the arc and take your first picture. Be careful to not jiggle the camera too much while you push the button. Now rotate the tripod head clockwise until it clicks into place. Take another picture from that angle. Repeat until you have taken 16 pictures. If you lose count, just keep going until you are absolutely sure that you have done a complete circle. It is better to have too many pictures than too few. Once you have taken all 16, you are done with that panorama.
A Note About Flash Photography
Many labs are poorly lit. Others have bright windows that brighten only one part of the room. If there is any odd lighting present, you should probably use the camera's flash. I almost always take two panoramas for every lab - one with flash and one without - so that I can choose the better one later.
When using flash, it is very important that the flash goes off for every one of the 16 shots. If the flash is on in some shots and off in others, the final panorama will look strange. Before you start, turn "forced flash" on. Consult the camera's manual for details on how to change flash settings.