360 degree photographs have many uses. Whether it be using the photo spheres for virtual tour photography, publishing to Google’s Street View app, or sharing on your website, this type of photography is becoming more and more popular.   One of the most commonly asked questions about them is how do you go about taking these kinds of images?   It’s really quite simple – you just need two kinds of basic equipment: a 360 degree camera and a tripod. The camera will be used to take 360-degree photographs of your surroundings; the tripod, which will be one of the most important pieces of equipment for your journey, will enable you to keep your camera still as you move around your environment.   In addition to this, it will also be important for you to learn some important techniques that will enable you to make the most out of your 360-degree photography experience. These techniques are:

Creating Virtual Tours – For virtual tour photography Fish eye Lenses are key to creating an amazing 360-degree photograph. Fish eye lenses are lens with an extremely wide field of view (FOV) and allow for a greater depth of field than regular lenses, allowing for a more complete shot of your surroundings. There are some things you can do to make the most out of your virtual tours. To start off, create a plan of how you want to take each photograph, then write everything down. It may also be helpful to place markers at each position you plan to take a photo.  This way you can envision walking through the area, as you step from marker to marker, just as you will in the virtual tour.  

Stabilizing Your Camera – A major factor in taking great pictures is stabilizing your camera. This is very important because as you are moving around you want the images to be taken at approximately the same height, and you want the camera to be steady as it takes the multiple pictures it will blend together into the photo sphere.  And though 360 degree cameras are getting faster and faster, they still need a little time to “stitch” their images together.  If you have motion as the camera takes a picture, it will affect the entire image. Of course, if you are not familiar with the process, you can ask a professional, and chances are they will help you to stabilize your camera.

Lighting – This is something many people struggle with, especially those who have never taken a 360-degree photograph before. 360 cameras have come a long way in the last few years.  However, strong sources of light in the picture that differ from the rest of the area, or space, can create problems for 360 cameras.  It is always best if you can make sure that both lenses can see this strong source of light, to help the camera balance out the multiple pictures it will be taking.  For instance, if you are taking a 360 degree photograph outside, and the sun is over head, if only one lens is facing the sun, you may get a brighter image on one side of your “stitched” photo sphere image than the other.  The easiest way to handle this is to always make sure both lenses can see the bright source of light, so the camera can balance the image as it is processed.  

Conclusion – 360 degree photography can be a fun hobby, or used for serious business.  There is a lot to keep in mind if you want to create great 360 degree photographs.  And thanks to technology like digital cameras, it is easy to get started out in this area.   You can use the tips that have been mentioned in this article to make the most out of your photography experience. Keep practicing, keep learning, and never stop trying to push the boundaries of your photos. It will pay off, just like everything else in life.

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