SpaceX Dragon Capsule—click thumbnail image to view full panorama

Back in 2010, we were hired by SpaceX to document the interior of their now famous Dragon Capsule. We had shot an engineering sample of the outer shell when we covered the Wired NextFest in 2007, but by 2010, the actual module was assembled, rich with modular interior features.

Now that SpaceX has announced its plans to visit the International Space Station later this year, they have unveiled the PictureBubbles° panorama that we created. And the LA Times took notice.

This was an incredibly challenging shoot. Not only was this a cramped space to work in, with barely enough room for one person to stand, but we had the additional challenge of needing to open the floor hatches. And we needed to make sure that all of the shots would line up in 3D-space so that they could be blended together for the final presentation. We shoot with a tripod, so that took some ingenuity.

(Behind-the-scenes photography to come, subject to approval by SpaceX and NASA.)

We positioned the camera and tripod in the center of the Dragon capsule for most of the shots. But when we started opening the hatches on the floor, there was no longer a place for the tripod to stand. We then shot a series of photos with the tripod elevated off the floor (by inserting the legs into the rigging on the sides). It was makeshift, but it worked extremely well.

The greatest bit of trivia: during some of the spin-arounds, there were two people in the capsule at all times: me operating the camera, and a SpaceX engineer moving things that I was not even close to allowed to touch. Bear that in mind while scrolling around.

There is a TON of Photoshop magic hiding how all of that came together, but we’re really proud of it.

You can visit SpaceX’s website to see the panorama with ISS and space-view simultations.  

Pacific Pinball Expo 2010—click thumbnail image to view panorama

There’s nothing like being in a room full of pinball machines that are all set to “free play.” With a collection spanning the entire history of pinball, the Pacific Pinball Expo in San Rafael was an extraordinary experience. These 1960s/1970s machines in the foreground were amongst my favorites, but there were hundreds more to play with.

Marin County Civic Center—click thumbnail image to view panorama

While on our way to the Pacific Pinball Expo in San Rafael, California, we stopped at the Marin County Civic Center to explore Frank Lloyd Wright‘s final masterpiece. This may be my favorite of all of his works; it’s interesting to see his architectural sensibilities juxtaposed alongside late 1950s/early 1960s stylistic memes, all mixed together with the beautiful landscape of the Bay Area.

Sterling Vineyards—click thumbnail image to view panorama

While in the Napa Valley town of Calistoga, California, we visited the Sterling Vineyards winery tour, and created a PictureBubbles° panorama of their scenic overlook.

This past weekend was the 2nd Annual LA Printers Fair, held at the International Printing Museum in Carson, California. I alluded to it previously on the Three Steps Ahead blog.  There was a fabulous selection of printing equipment as well as print-related art and design. My wife and I were vendors at the fair as well, and we had a swell time. Looking forward to next year’s fair!

One of our earliest projects was created for Smashbox Studios & Quixote, the famous cosmetics/photo-studio/vehicle conglomerate here in southern California.

We created PictureBubbles° 360° panoramas of many of the indoor studios at Smashbox, as well as many of Quixote’s production vehicles and talent trailers.

Links to interactive 360° photography:

• Quixote Verde Lounge PictureBubbles° Panorama
• Quixote Verde Wardrobe & Makeup PictureBubbles° Panorama
• Smashbox Softbox, Culver City, PictureBubbles° Panorama
• Smashbox Lightbox, Culver City, PictureBubbles° Panorama

We love panoramas. But some projects (print designs, for example) call for more traditional, non-interactive still photography. In addition to our spherical panoramic PictureBubbles°, we also create high dynamic range still photos. Here are a few examples:

Carel Struycken was kind enough to create a panoramic PictureBubbles° portrait of my wedding two Saturdays ago. Alyssa and I were married at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County next to the dinosaurs. Carel captured the moment beautifully—in 360° Dino Vision! Our LED paper flowers look especially vibrant in HDR.

When our friends Jimmy and Sakura got married here in Los Angeles in 2007, I shot a series of panoramas at their wedding reception to spherically capture the moments for all time. Three years later, and with a little help from Photoshop CS5, I’ve finally finished processing them. Better late than never?

This weekend, I had the opportunity to sleep over at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and I couldn’t resist taking a few PictureBubbles° while I was there. Above is the “Birds of the World” exhibit, and below is the museum’s Fin Whale skeleton, under which we camped out for the night in tents.