Greg Stumph photography

Notes

These images were created from multiple frames of 35mm film, which were stitched together with software to create images that contain everything visible in all directions from a single point in space. This sphere of visual information is then mapped to a flat projection, in the same way that a world map represents the sphere of the Earth.

Several mapping projections are used here:

• Equirectangular - The effect of this projection is that the horizon runs across the middle of the image, and the points directly above and below the viewer (the zenith and nadir, respectively) are stretched out so that they span the whole width of the top and bottom of the image.
• Transverse equirectangular - In this projection the zenith is in the center of the image, the nadir is split between the mid-point of the top and bottom edges, and there are two horizons; a quarter of the way from the top and the bottom edges.
• Stereographic - This projection produces interesting, geometrically abstract images, and can yield very different results from the same starting data. The four images of the Pergola were all generated from the same set of 35mm exposures, for example, as were the Brooklyn Bridge images.
• 360° fisheye - This projection emulates a theoretical 360° fisheye lens, which results in the nadir being in the center of the image, and the zenith stretched out to form a ring just inside the edges of the square. The horizon forms a circle half the width of the image.

Since each image contains a complete sphere of visual information, there are many ways that it can be mapped to a flat projection. These mappings range from relatively "realistic," to more abstract images. For instance, the two Eiffel Tower images are made from the same source image, and each can be transformed into the other (if you look closely, you will notice the identical people in both images). The same is true of the two images of the Louvre; each image has all the information needed to transform it into the other image.