When we travel to amazing places, taking pictures allows us to show our friends and family what we saw. Composing the perfect photo is a process of pointing your camera at something interesting, and shooting at the right time. But what if the people viewing your photos could virtually stand where you were standing, and look around, fully immersed in the scene?

360-degree panoramas are a unique and exciting way to let your viewers explore your pictures. If you’ve played with Google Street View, or have seen a real-estate listing with a virtual tour, imagine capturing this type of interactive photography on your next adventure.

Seeing the World in 360

While many phones and point-and-shoot cameras have a panorama mode, 360 spherical panoramas will take your images to even further by including everything in the scene. Visualize your photo being projected on the inside of a large ball. Your viewers will be able to look in any direction, side to side or up and down!

Panoramic Heads

Panoramic heads are available from a wide variety of manufacturers. AFI MRP-01 good panoramic heads start at around $45.

Spending some time dialing-in the settings on your panoramic head will ensure that your images stitch together easily. A panohead keeps the point where light enters the lens, called the no-parallax point, consistent between shots. This precise alignment makes it easier for panoramic software to stitch your panorama together. I recommend using the grid method for finding the optimal stitching position of your panoramic head.