Carlton SooHoo/Panospin Studios Photography

This Blog Has Moved !!

2010-07-20T19:07:00.000-04:00

I've moved this blog to: http://www.panospin.com/blog/

2009-10-26T13:57:00.002-04:00

A Personalized Family Portrait - Holiday Season Special - $195

It’s a hassle to bring the family to the mall for holiday pictures,
especially when the kids are active, or you want to include your pet
in the photo. The backgrounds and props are limited and your pictures
end up looking like other people’s.

>So this season, we want to offer you another option:

Invite us over to your home where we can create a very personalized
photograph of your family with your favorite items & pets. You can
include your instruments, gear, antiques, equipment, and special items
in the picture with you. The holidays are ideal because everyone will
be home.

It takes about an hour and you get to keep the digital pictures (try
asking for the digital files at the mall). The kids can relax at
home until they are needed to step into the picture. Best of all, this
is professional photography brought to the convenience of your home.

This type of portrait is not for everyone. But if you are adventurous,
fun, and just plain nostalgic, then we want to work with you.

Here are some examples of family portraits:
http://carltonsoohoo.smugmug.com/People-Portraits/Portraits/10041233_yC4ra#688006364_4dF34

Here’s the “Fine Print”

We’ll shoot for about 30 minutes, creating various group combinations
We’ll use some area of your home, or nearby, as the background but
we can also bring a cloth background.
We’ll transfer all the photos to your computer before we leave
You can order professional prints & holiday cards online if you
prefer not to print them yourself
Photo retouching is available at $5 per image, with delivery within a few days
This offer expires January 31, 2010

Call Carlton or Ann to schedule your appointment:

Carlton: 781-275-0923 (Bedford, MA)
Ann: 508-887-1460 (Worcester, MA)

Thanks for your help and business referrals this holiday season!
-Carlton & Ann

Kaman

2009-02-14T11:41:00.001-05:00

_CKS2895
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

My friend Kaman is a make up artist and she asked me to go over to her apartment and shoot some head shots of herself. When I arrived, I saw there was no room to shoot. I didn't know Boston apartments could be so small. It's a good thing that I don't need much space to set up for up to 3/4 body. And amazingly, we set up the backdrop and lights in the narrow kitchen space.

If you need a make up artist for your wedding, model shoot, etc., feel free to contact me and I'll get you in touch with Kaman.

Susan

2009-02-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

_CKS2664
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

My friend Susan is a marketing communications expert and she is helping me with a business plan for my Virtual American Revolution project.

She can be found on the Web at http://www.clevergirlcomm.com/. And she is so much fun to chat with. I learned she did work for Legoland in California.

TV Diner with Billy Costa

2009-02-10T15:10:00.006-05:00

TV Diner with Billy Costa
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

My friend John Sullivan was a contestant on TV diner, hosted by Billy Costa.

John is sitting at the bar on the far left behind the Pearl Vodka bottles.

The location was Lucia Lighting & Design in Lynn, MA. http://www.lucialighting.com/. The segment is called "Drink this". John made an amazing keylime martini.

Another 200 photos from this event can be seen here on my SmugMug gallery.

Carlton Headshot for Vday performance

2009-02-08T15:31:00.000-05:00

Carlton Headshot
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

This self-portrait head shot of me was taken for a VDAY benefit performance of A Memory, A
Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer: Writings to Stop Violence Against Women and
Girls.

Local activists and volunteers will present a dramatic reading at the Harvey
Wheeler Community Center in West Concord (1276 Main St. Entrance and parking
off of Church St.) Mature themes not appropriate for young children.

Performance dates are Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, March 8 at 4
pm. Seating is open and doors open a half hour before the performance.
Tickets are $15 in advance and may be purchased at Debra's Natural Gourmet
on Commonwealth Ave in West Concord or online at www.networkforwomenslives.org

Monies raised will benefit The Domestic Violence Services Network, a local
organization working to end domestic violence and also Women and Girls of
the Congo - which is this year's VDAY spotlight campaign. More information
about VDAY can be found at www.vday.org

Dave

2009-02-07T15:40:00.000-05:00

Dave
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Dave is an improv actor in Boston. I hope you catch him in some performance some day.

Randi, brand strategist

2009-02-06T16:03:00.000-05:00

Randi
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

My friend Randi is a career consultant and brand strategist. She helps people reinvent themselves to a happier, more fulfilled career that takes advantage of their skills, strengths, and talents.

This environmental portrait was taken while Randi was speaking to her client about his assessment results.

One of Randi's bonsai trees can be seen in the left foreground. That's one of her passions and there were bonsai's everywhere throughout the house.

Please visit her website at: http://www.aspireforsuccess.com/

Leanne and Jessica

2009-01-31T16:26:00.000-05:00

Leanne and Jessica
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I had the pleasure of photographing Leanne and Jessica who are roommates. Although they are not professional models, they are great friends and the photos show their great interpersonal chemistry.

There are a few more photos from the shoot in my flickr set.

Fiona

2009-01-30T17:12:00.000-05:00

Fiona
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I had the pleasure of photographing Fiona at the offices of Asian Boston magazine. Fiona is leaving for New York shortly to pursue a career in cosmetology. Good luck to her and Beantown loses another one to the Big Apple.

Lori and Roger

2009-01-27T18:15:00.001-05:00

Lori and Roger
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

My friends are actors who volunteered to model for me as I presented a lighting talk to the South Shore Camera club in Quincy, MA.

Lori is at http://www.ourfilmspace.com/profile/LoriVozzella

Roger is at: http://rogerdillingham.com/Home_Page.html

Juri Panda Jones

2009-01-25T18:28:00.000-05:00

Juri Panda Jones
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Juri was photographed for Asian Boston magazine. She is a composer and singer. See her website at juripandajones.com/.

Thongkoun Pathana

2009-01-24T18:42:00.001-05:00

Thongkoun Pathana
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Thongkoun Pathana was photographed for Asian Boston magazine. He is the founder of the Laotian Community Center of RI.

Karen

2009-01-15T18:56:00.000-05:00

Karen
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I had the pleasure of photographing my friend Karen who is a civil engineer. Most of the time, she is in jeans and work boots so this is a different look for her. I'm sure her friends who know her well would be stunned by the set of images we created.

Boston Harbor Hotel Panorama

2008-11-25T15:55:00.002-05:00

Boston Harbor Hotel
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

The Boston Harbor Hotel was lit up as part of the lighting event, Illuminale Boston 2008.

To see this image rotate in 360-degrees, visit http://panospin.com/projects/illuminaleboston08/

Ailene & Steve

2008-10-23T20:57:00.001-04:00

Ailene & Steve
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Today, I worked with two very professional models at my studio in Lowell. When I asked the two of them to pretend to be partners, they stepped right into the role without hesitation. Judging by the pictures, you wouldn't be wrong to think they were partners.

Mount Chocorua, New Hampshire

2008-10-20T20:15:00.001-04:00

Mount Chocorua, New Hampshire
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

It's that time of year around here in New England when all the leaf peepers head up north to see the gorgeous color changes. This photo is stitched together from 22 images.

Joe McNally Lighting Workshop

2008-10-01T08:11:00.010-04:00

View the above image in rotating 360°

Joe McNally Lighting Workshop
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Joe McNally, photojournalist and lighting expert, came to the Boston area to deliver a seminar/workshop to the Commercial Industrial Photographers of New England. The photo above is a 360° panoramic stitched image of Joe demonstrating how to light the model. This is the equirectangular projection 2:1 ratio. To see this in full 360° rotation, visit my virtual tour page of this image.

I'm sure that like me, you'll want to purchase some of the cool gear you see all around in the image. Be sure to give Mark Astmann, Product Manager at Bogen Imaging, a call (201.818.9500) or Email Mark, and he'll hook you up with the right stuff.

Joe also published his book, The Moment it Clicks, and he generously shares his knowledge about how the photographs were lit and taken.

Award winning photograph

2008-08-31T14:07:00.002-04:00

Award winning photograph
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

This photograph and others were taken for Landmark Services, General Contractors Specializing in Renovating and Restoring Historic New England properties. I'm very proud to assist them in winning the Contractor of the Year Award in the category of Best Historic Renovation Project for their renovation of a Greek Revival home in Cambridge. See their blog entry for more details.

Krysta Youngs @ Cuchi Cuchi

2008-08-24T17:16:00.002-04:00

Krysta Youngs @ Cuchi Cuchi
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I had the immense pleasure of photographing the wonderfully musically talented singer songwriter, Krysta Youngs at the very eclectic restaurant, Cuchi Cuchi. Be sure to visit her MySpace page to listen to her music. If you'd like to see more photos of Krysta, you can find them on her Model Mayhem site.

We arrived at 4 PM and had about an hour to shoot before the restaurant opened for dinner. As typical with many shoots, we needed to move some furniture around and stage the areas a bit, and the staff was extremely accommodating at working around us and setting up tables after we had finished shooting.

If you are in the Cambridge, MA area, please stop by Cuchi Cuchi for a wonderful dinner and to see more of the eclectic decor.

Crosstown Center, Boston, Massachusetts

2008-08-15T07:44:00.005-04:00

Crosstown Center
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

The folks over at Jones Lang LaSalle's Boston office are really super cool to work with. On this particular day, it was really windy and there were people walking all around us, which made it more interesting to photograph.

The final rotating panorama can be seen at the project website. The amazingly cool flash programmer, Mike Lok, put the rotating flash animation of the panorama together.

Carlton & Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick

2008-06-06T15:14:00.004-04:00

Governor & Senator with Artists
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

State Senator Steven Panagiotakos held an art show in his office in the State House. Governor Deval Patrick also stopped by. In the photo above is Carlton and Governor Patrick. In the group photo below, the Governor and Senator are seen with the Lowell artists whose work was on display. I'm the Asian guy, 2nd from right.

The group photo was taken by Elaine Seidel's assistant.

My photo of the Boston Skyline at night can be seen here.

350.org and Global Warming

2008-06-02T09:25:00.005-04:00

350.org
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

The following explanatory text is from the 350.org website.

On Sunday, June 1st, Dr. Jim Hansen, the world’s leading climate scientist, along with Dr. Mark Bowen author of the new book Censoring Science: Inside the Political Attack on Dr. James Hansen and the Truth of Global Warming, addressed a crowd of more than 700 concerned citizens in Lexington, Massachusetts about the threat of global warming and the urgency of taking action.

Dr. Hansen’s research inspired environmental author and activist Bill McKibben to spearhead the work of 350.org, spreading the word that 350 ppm of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere represents the target that we need to aim for in order to maintain a climate like the one in which we and other species evolved. (We are now at 385 ppm.)

To see the rotating 360° panorama, click here. Be sure to use Internet Explorer or Safari.

Kelly's Senior Portrait Session

2008-05-31T07:26:00.003-04:00

Kelly's Senior Portrait Session
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I've been wanting to shoot high school senior portraits for a while now and I'm very grateful that Kelly was up for a photo shoot. On location with me was my principal photographer , Heather, and make up artist, Kristen.

Kelly is an amazing golfer and right nearby the golf course was a very cool area with old buildings and open fields of grass. We also found a white chair just sitting in the middle of the field. It never ceases to amaze me how props and locations are provided for our use, just because we think about how we want it..and it magically appears!

To see the photo book from this photo shoot: Photo Book

Urban Yoga

2008-05-23T07:45:00.000-04:00

Urban Yoga
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Julie is extremely talented and she teaches yoga as well. We talked about the concept of how yoga is relaxing and that one can ignore the distractions of sight and sound in the environment. We thought it would be cool to have Julie do some poses in an urban environment full of industrial sights and sounds.

Strobist lighting details. Nikon D300, ISO 200, 1/250 sec, f/9.5. Fill flash from camera right, SB-800 with snoot 1/4 power, held by Heather.

Computer Repair Dude

2008-04-24T08:46:00.005-04:00

Computer Repair Dude
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Ted is the savior, well, not in the religious sense, of course. The tag line for AAA (American Automobile Association) is "sooner or later you'll break down and call AAA". The same is true for computer and technology repair. Sooner or later, you'll crash a drive, lose data, etc., and you'll call Ted.

Ted has saved me and numerous others and more importantly, he not only "gives me a fish", but teaches me "how to fish", and be more proactive about backing up and maintaining proper procedures for computer longevity.

But enough about Ted. You want to know how I lit him up for this shot. I always think beforehand about what the shot looks like. I envisioned this shot in my head that he would be surrounded by computer monitors, the room would be generally dark, and his face would be lit with snooted hot shoe flash. When Heather and I arrived at his office, it was full of equipment in various stages of repair. There was full sunlight coming in through the two windows, one directly behind him and the other to his right, camera left.

After we pulled down the shades to darken the room, we set the camera on a tripod so we could frame the scene by bringing in the monitors until they were visible in the screen. All equipment in this shot is arranged, including the desk lamp and the computers in the foreground. We had a blue blanket in the car and we brought that in as a background. Fortuitously, the blanket was thin enough that the sunlight coming in through the window it was covering provided some light just behind Ted.

We set up an SB-800 flash with snoot, camera left, and aimed right at Ted's face and chest, 1/4 power. We put a Vivitar 285, camera right, 1/4 power, behind and to the right to provide rim and hair light. Finally, Heather stood next to me with her Canon 580EX, that had the handmade grid, 1/8 power, and put a little more fill light to Ted's left side of the face because the light from camera left was leaving some shadow.

We also saw in our test shots that the lamp was provided nice reflected light onto the foreground laptop so we positioned it until it was pleasing to our eyes. Ted's right foot is resting on a bucket of cat food, but we left that dark so you couldn't tell. Here is the test shot with me sitting in, gosh I look awful.

Nikon D200 camera exposure was 1/10 sec, f/5, ISO 100. The slow shutter speed helped to provide the ambient light to a level that was pleasing. Lens was Nikkor 17-55 mm f/2.8.

Almost Free Photography for Children 5 & Under

2008-03-26T08:20:00.002-04:00

I'm always thinking about how I can give back to the community in some way using my talent in photography. I was inspired to make the following offer of almost free photography for children 5 and under and I added this to my website also.

In support of the efforts of Amber Alert and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, I now photograph children 5 and under for a small administrative fee of $25. This is so that in the slim chance a child becomes missing, the authorities will have a high quality photo to alert with.

Kalinah

2008-03-09T17:28:00.002-04:00

I had a great photo shoot with Kalinah who is a first-time model. She's very natural and had no problem with posing. Here is a small collage of the images.

Peabody Glen Health Care Center Valentine Party 2008

2008-03-03T10:34:00.004-05:00

Peabody Glen Health Care Center Valentine Party 2008
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

The Peabody Glen Health Care Center sponsored a Valentine's Party at the Peter A. Torigian Community Life Center. Heather and I had a great time photographing the event. There was so much energy in the room and the DJ was super-duper at getting everyone to dance and wave napkins around.

Ako @ WAS

2008-02-24T20:31:00.004-05:00

Ako @ WAS
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Akonwara [sometimes aka Nathalie] is a really cool and hip dancer and model. In this photo, she was dressed in the clothing style of Japanese street fashion called Fruits. Here is a blog entry that provides a great description of this fashion trend. You can also see other Ako's images here, and my earlier blog posting here. Oh right, and here is a bunch more photos of her.

Space Shuttle Endeavor

2008-02-24T15:41:00.001-05:00

Space shuttle Endeavor
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I went on a family trip to Orlando and we visited the Kennedy Space Center. The space shuttle Endeavor was on the launch pad awaiting a targeted launch of March 11, 2008. This viewing tower was about a mile away. This is a stitched image from 11 images.

Boston Skyline @ Night

2008-02-24T15:38:00.000-05:00

Boston Skyline Nightime
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Over in East Boston is LoPresti Park where this photo was taken on a cold evening. This is stitched together from seven images. This panoramic photo is among several images hanging in MA state senator Steven Panagiotakos'
office.

Winner, Best of Show, Commercial Industrial Photographer's of New England

2008-02-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

Hey fans, my panoramic portrait of Stephen Finn's interview for the Larry Stark documentary won best of show in the Commercial Industrial Photographer's of New England print competition. It's displayed on their website and I grabbed a screen capture to show you.

Lily at Western Avenue

2008-02-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

Lily at Western Avenue
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I had the pleasure of working with Lily, who is a very talented model. She's creative with her posing and very professional, and all around fun girl to hang with. You can see her Model Mayhem portfolio here.

This photo was taken using one SB-800 flash, on 1/4 power, to light up most of the area around Lily. You can see that it was at camera left by the shadow on the wall. Another SB-800, 1/8 power, had a color temperature orange gel and snoot, to direct light into the face and chest area. Camera was set to tungsten white balance about 2500K. ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/125 sec.

I also found a cool link tutorial about mapping text onto irregular surfaces so I used it to write Lily's name on the wall.

Ava Art Custom Framers

2008-01-30T20:31:00.000-05:00

Ava Art Custom Framers
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

My friend Kathy is a custom framer who will come to your location and help you choose frames for your art. She will look around and make suggestions as to where to hang the framed pieces. In this day of disappointing and poor customer service, Kathy is a breath of fresh air. Please be sure to visit her website at http://avaart.com. After she frames my photographs, I'll photograph the framed images and post them to this blog. Check back in another week.

Gillette Stadium - New England Patriots Football Stadium

2008-01-01T15:43:00.000-05:00

Gillette Stadium - New England Patriots Football Stadium
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Now that the New England Patriots football team has won all of their regular season games and broken countless football records in the process, I thought it would be a good time to post my panoramic image of their home stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. This stadium is called Gillette Stadium and it is where the New England Revolution Soccer Team plays as well. Click on the photo to see it larger on my Flickr page. To see the photo in full 360° rotation, click here.

I was there to photograph the Special Olympics Massachusetts 2006 annual gala, which was held in the Fidelity Clubhouse. This image was taken just before the festivities began.

To see more 360° views of Gillette Stadium, visit here: http://panospin.com/somagala/
To see the photographs from the SOMA gala, visit here: http://panospin.smugmug.com/gallery/1942262

The people on the field below were the film crew that was filming "Gridiron Gang" that starred Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. We were too far up to get a close view but someone said Johnson was down there somewhere.

My Camera Gear

2007-12-29T15:45:00.000-05:00

My Gear
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I had to photograph most of my camera gear for insurance purposes. What's not in the photo are some tripods and panoramic heads. I also didn't include my portable mp3 recorder and laptop, which I use on my photo shoots. All this gear was a little over $15,000 and it cost about $900 to insure. Now that is an amazing deal and I would love to introduce you to my insurance agent, Cindy.

Skybridge Panorama

2007-12-15T15:46:00.000-05:00

Skybridge Panorama
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

This image was part of a virtual tour that was created for Jones Lang LaSalle, a global real estate management firm. Their local office is in Boston and this property is at Network Drive in Burlington, MA, where Sun Microsystems has a campus. At the time of this posting, office park space is available for rent. Please contact me and I'll get you in touch with the right people. You do need to be a multi-million dollar company though.

I want my picture framed this way....

2007-12-13T20:35:00.000-05:00

I want my picture framed this way....
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I love working with Marti who is so creative, experimental, and simply gorgeous. If you crop out the image outside of the frame, it actually looks like a decent portrait of her.

Gina

2007-12-13T20:33:00.000-05:00

Gina
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Gina is one of my favorite models to work with. She knows how to pose and change expression which is great because I can focus on lighting her. This image has been converted to duotone using Photoshop CS2. It's almost black and white, but with shades or purple. Click on the photo to see the Flickr entry for more lighting details. The image was taken at my studio in the Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, MA. Gina is available to model for you as well.

Naturally Zeph

2007-11-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

Naturally Zeph
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Sometimes, when I get too caught up in how I'm going to use all my lights and be dramatic, and all that, Mother Nature comes along and reminds me that she is still the best at providing light.

The model is Zeph who likes to ride a motorcycle and knit sweaters, like the one she is wearing.

This fall portrait was taken at the Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, MA. The event was organized by the Boston Strobist Group.

Zeph

2007-11-19T20:34:00.000-05:00

Zeph
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I took part in the Boston Strobist photoshoot, http://www.flickr.com/groups/506643@N25/, where I created this colorful image. The plastic tubs have flashes with colored gels, and another flash was used to light her face and body. Zeph is also a sweater designer and she is wearing one of her designs.

Mel

2007-10-06T20:36:00.000-04:00

Mel
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Mel was photographed at Lynch Park in Beverly, MA. She is a contestant in this year's Miss Massachusetts pageant. We wish her good luck!

This photo was taken using SB-800/CTO gel and camera white balanced to tungsten. Flash output was 1/4 power and my assistant aimed towards the upper body. Nikon D200 set to ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/5.6.

Amy in the Scion

2007-10-06T20:35:00.000-04:00

Amy in the Scion
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Amy was photographed for an Scion advertisement for a Woburn, MA, Toyota dealership.

As she sat in the Scion, we used ambient daylight as the key light, but underexposed one stop - ISO 400, 1/250 sec, f/8. Then we used a snoot on the SB800, 1/4 power, to light her face area. My assistant stood at camera left aiming the light carefully.

Jeff the Photographer

2007-09-30T20:36:00.000-04:00

Jeff
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

Jeff is a fellow strobist photographer and he needed a head/portrait shot for his upcoming fashion show photographer's competition. Imagine being given one hour to photograph two models, in front of a dance club audience where everyone is watching you. Next to you are two other photographers also in the competition. Then the audience votes on whose photos are the best. Will Jeff be the LAST PHOTOGRAPHER STANDING???

Anastasia Nikolova

2007-09-16T20:37:00.000-04:00

Anastasia Nikolova
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I had the pleasure of photographing Anastasia who is a classical opera singer in Boston. Her studio is in the Steinway Building at 162 Boylston Street. And yes, that is her Steinway Piano in the background. And yes, she will teach you to sing in a most melodious way.

You've taken enough pictures already!

2007-07-30T20:38:00.000-04:00

You've taken enough pictures already!
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I do photograph models when I'm not creating panoramas. It's almost like a vacation, or a great way for me to relax and take my mind off panoramas. I was very fortunate to work with the gorgeous Akonwara on a Trash the Dress photo shoot.

Interviewing Stephen

2007-05-31T15:47:00.000-04:00

Interviewing Stephen
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

As part of the Larry Stark documentary that is being filmed by RedDragonFly Films, we went to visit his friend Stephen, who is a film buff. Stephen has over 2000 DVD's in his apartment, as can be seen in the background.

The interviewer is Barry, and filming is done by Iga while Bernice directs. To see other Panospins from the project that show interviews with Boston area Theatre directors, visit this project page at Panospin Studios.

This is an example of the kind of panoramic portrait that can be done. It's a great way to show off all your "stuff" and prized possessions.

Aunt's 85th Birthday Bash

2007-05-30T15:48:00.000-04:00

Auntie's 85th Birthday Bash
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I'll post these lovely group photos from time to time. 360-degree panoramic photography is not just limited to scenes. It's very straightforward to do small groups such as this photo and larger ones with 150 people. The way it's created is to have people sit around the camera in an equidistant radius. This doesn't always happen for various reasons but people's sizes are more comparable if they sit equidistantly.

Because it is a spherical three-dimensional image to begin with, the flattened projection will still have distortion the farther away from the center of the lens. For example, think about how a world map is a flattened projection of a three-dimensional globe. The land masses near the poles are distorted and stretched out. Even land masses near the equator have some distortion relative to how they look on a globe.

Nevertheless, it is possible to show people with minimal distortion as long as they are close to the center of the image. Closer to the ground and sky will have distortion. If you were holding the photo in your hands, you could curve it around so the edges were touching, thus re-creating close to the original circle that people were sitting around. Then if you looked down into the photo, you would see distortion removed and the roof line of the house would appear to be straight.

Cool huh?

Julie the actor, model, spokesperson, etc.

2007-05-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

Julie the actor
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

I had the pleasure of working with Julie Pham on her new portfolio. I used lighting techniques involving small flash units off camera. The location of the photo-shoot is the Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Julie is currently the EJ (Entertainment Jockey) at OurStage
Be sure to see her video clips to enjoy her perky personality.

First Act Guitar Studio

2007-04-02T15:49:00.000-04:00

First Act Guitar Studio
Originally uploaded by carltonsoohoo

This 360-degree panoramic photo was taken for First Act, a manufacturer of high end guitars for rock stars and aspiring rock stars. This is their studio on Boylston Street in Boston.

New Year's Eve in Boston, MA USA

2007-01-02T15:50:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! We were fortunate to hook up with Matt West at First Night Boston who also thought it would be cool to take a pano at the midnight countdown. We got to Copley Square around 9:30 PM and it was cold. I had hand warmers from LL Bean, about 3 in each pocket. We first photographed Lisa Hughes and Jack Williams of CBS4 TV while they were getting ready to broadcast live. Then just before midnight, we went across the street to the steps of the Boston public Library where the group U.V. Protection was playing. They counted down to midnight using people with the numbers 10 through 1 across their bodies, who walked across the steps. I positioned myself right in front of number one just as the confetti was blown out. To see the panoramas with sound, click here: www.panospin.com/firstnight. The countdown pano was also accepted at Panoramas.dk, an international panoramas site in Denmark that was collecting New Year's Eve panos from all over the world.

Boston Massacre Site

2006-06-05T15:51:00.000-04:00

This is my first message just to get this going.