Interactive Views From the Border

UPDATE----- I just added a new view to the border fence pano project. This one is from Nogales, Sonora.

CLICK HERE to take you to a 360-degree interactive view of several parts of the fence along the Arizona/ Mexico border. I just updated it with full-screen buttons to make it more interesting. These were taken from several spots in the desert around Naco and Douglas, Arizona. There is a lot of talk about the border fence but many people don't know what it actually looks like. Here it is.

Panos
I've really been getting into panorama photography. It's an excellent way of communicating a sense of place. For those interested in learning more about pano vr photography, I have complied a list of my favorite pano links.

VRMag is a collection of free online issues full of wonderful panoramas. This is a great place to get info and inspiration.

The Panoramist is a blog by photojournalist Gary O'Brien of The Charlotte Observer. He has a lot of great links and useful information on equipment and software. Gary was nice enough to spend an evening with a co-worker and I pointing us in the right direction on how to use the software and shooting techniques.

I'm really inspired by the panorama work of Bernd Dohrmann. His Starry Night pano is simply beautiful. It's shot at dawn and he has drawn in all of the constelations. has connected all of the constellations together. His site has a great collection of panos that really put you in the middle of the action. Worth viewing.

Panoguide is a great how-to site. The regulars in their forums are helpful and quick to answer questions.

Photojournalist Zach Wise has an interesting pano shot of the neon boneyard in Las Vegas. He also has a good intro to panoramas and list of links.

I went out with detectives with the Arizona Department of Public Safety on Wednesday as they served a felony warrant. You can read the related story here.

Bball

U of A catcher is knocked down by an ASU runner in a home plate collision. ASU scored on the play.

Great Story

Here is a link to a great story about 19-year-old Jennifer Marlowe, who has cancer. The story is about her passion for photography and the people who are working to make her dream come true. Anyone who loves photography can relate to her quote "When I take pictures," Jennifer said, "I feel like everything around me disappears." This story is well worth reading.

Pat

Protest Panorama

Last night I was assigned to cover a war protest in Tempe. The protest was held on top of a bridge on ASU's Tempe campus that stretches over University Drive. I haven't done a pano in a while so I figured it might be a good chance to do one with people in it. Click here to check it out.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Here is a slideshow of images I made in Ireland while traveling through Cashel, County Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula, and County Clare along Ireland's west coast. The trip was everything I hoped it would be and more. We only spent a day in Dublin, opting instead to spend our time exploring the windy country roads and hiking along the coast. It wasn't too hard to leave the tourists behind and fell like you were having a real experience. I'd go back in  a heartbeat.

All of the photos in this slideshow were taken with a plastic Holga camera. A Holga is made up almost entirely of plastic. It has two shutter speeds, one F stop, and leaks light like a sieve. Why would anyone want to use this camera? The Holga takes photographs that look like memories-- something in focus but a little fuzzy around the edges. When you are using a Holga, you're letting go of almost all control and opening up your photography to chance. You can never be quite sure what light is going to be recorded on the film. Each roll has a few surprises on it. It's great for landscape photography as well a photographing people. 

I bought mine here from the International Center of Photography. I like the one that allows you to shoot at 1/125 of a sec and also has a bulb setting for long exposures. More to come on the Holga.

Pat

MSNBC

I have a photo and video on the cover of MSNBC today. The story follows the experiences of a woman living in an apartment complex that was owned by a company that defaulted on it's loans. It's interesting that even people who don't own homes are experiencing the effects of foreclosures. 

Great Links

Photo District News recently came out with their "30 Photographers to Watch" list. PDN has a slideshow here of some of the photog's work. There are some really interesting images. It's worth checking out.

One of photogs selected is California's Lisa Wiseman. She has an interesting project on her web site called "The New Polaroid". Her idea is that the iPhone is becoming the new Polaroid. I really like her abstracts. What a great way to keep looking for interesting images and beauty in everyday life. Nice work Lisa.

Education Rally

Around 2,500 people attended a rally at the state capitol Wednesday in support of education. The rally started as Gov. Jan Brewer gave a speech to the legislature where she described her budget plan. 

Click here to see a slideshow from the rally. Click here to read the story.