Lincoln College Oxford Virtual Tour
This virtual tour combines three interactive panoramas, linked to each other by red dots and through a map:
- Front Quad
- Skyline view from the Tower
- Interior of the Hall
Customer:
The client is Lincoln College, a beautiful, small college, full of history, in the centre of Oxford..
Harald was a pleasure to work with: extremely professional and well-organized, sensitive to the need to work in a non-disruptive manner, and impressive in his ability to work in extremely challenging spaces and light conditions!
Dr Rachel Buxton, Domestic Bursar, Lincoln College
Equipment used:
- Canon 5D Mark II with Really Right Stuff L-Plate
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM lens
- Gitzo G1325 carbon fibre tripod
- Really Right Stuff BH-55 ball head and Multi-Row Pano Elements Package
- Really Right Stuff carbon fibre monopod with MH-01 Pro momopod head for nadir shots
- Notebook computer with remote camera control software
How it was done:
All photography has been done with the camera remotely controlled via a laptop computer. The main challenges have been the extreme contrasts.
To have every detail in focus, from the closest to the lens to the furthest (almost infinite), focus stacking has been used. All photography has been done with available light only, using exposure bracketing. The combination of focus stacking and exposure bracketing means a large number of photos: The panorama of the Hall is based on around 1,500 photos.
The resulting photos have been processed using focus stacking software.
For the Hall HDR has not been an option, it would have destroyed the atmosphere created by the candles. Instead, all windows, and many paintings, have been "transplanted" from photos where they were correctly exposed, and the rest of the Hall appeared to be in total darkness.
For the Front Quad and the Tower view, HDR has been used to get around the contrasts created by the low afternoon sun.
The resulting images have been edited, then stitched together, edited again, and then turned into a spherical panorama.
A blog entry will explain the "focus stacking" and "windows transplanting" used in the creation of this virtual tour.
Technical information:
This virtual tour exists in two different versions: One is using, if available, the Adobe Flash Player, the other uses HTML5.
Credits:
- Dr Rachel Buxton, Domestic Bursar at Lincoln College.
- Bev Cousins, Alumni and Communications Officer
- Prof David Hills, Professor and Tutor in Engineering Science, and Sub-Rector
- Tony Daly, Head Butler, and his staff