How to create Tiny Planets on the iPhone

One of the most friequent questions I get asked on my blog is how I create my Tiny Planets. Tiny Planets are commonly referred to by there technical name, Stereographic Projections. The process involves a tripod and taking a series of overlapping photos using a fisheye lens. Each planet is made up of 20-30 individual shots then merged together with a program called PTGui creating a very large panorama.

The merged image is then brought into Photoshop and manipulated into the planet. The process takes a while and is complex, but produces a very detailed, high quality image (sometimes 1GB in size). While this process is tedious, a much easer process can but achieved using an iPhone and two apps.

1) Download "Photosynth"(free) & "Tiny Planets"(99¢) from the App store.

2) Launch Photosynth and start slowly moving the camera around. The App will capture the overlapping images. Be sure you complete a full 360º when taking the photos or the planet will not render correctly. Also be sure to capture the zenith (what's above you) and the nadir (under your feet).

3) When you've completed a full 360º panorama, hit finish and Photosynth will start stitching all the photos together. The process can take several minutes and you can choose to skip this process and do it at another time if you're anxious to keep photographing.

4) When the stitching is complete, you will able to pan around the photo within the app. To export the image to your camera roll, select "share."

5) Choose "camera roll"

6) You will be given the option to crop the image, I recommend you leave it as it is.

7) Next, launch the "Tiny Planet" App and load your recently exported panorama from your camera roll.

8) When the image is loaded, select the tiny planet button at the bottom left.

9) You now have your own Tiny Planet. Select "next" at the top right to export the image back to your camera roll.

With a little practice, you can get some nice planets. There are a few other Apps out there that will also do this process. The App 360Panorama has it's own Stereograph feature built in, however it doesn't capture as much area as Photosynth. The App "Retouch" will help with the removal of your feet/shadow in the Tiny Planet.

For comparison, I also shot the same planet using my Canon 50D:

From my Canon

From my iPhone4

Review of Mini Wide Angle Lens for iPhone

I got a mini wide angle lens for my iPhone 4 as part of our annual secret santa exchange at work. The lens is a 2-in-1 and also acts as a macro lens. For $20, the quality is amazing. One problem, with the iPhone 4, the magnetic ring adhesive doesn't stick to the glass iPhone backing very well and keeps falling off plus I really don't like the look of having something stuck to the back of the phone all the time. I came up with a simple solution involving a mini suction cup and part of a binder clip. Since the lens is magnetic to begin with, it sticks right to the binder clip. I bent the clip a little with some pliers to get it just right. Works like a charm.

yes, these were all shot with an iPhone 4 and a $20 macro lens

Polaroids of Myrtle Beach

I just got back from a vacation in Myrtle Beach. Altho it wasn't my first choice, I had a good time and took lots of pictures, mostly Polaroids. The following images were shot with a Polaroid 300, Landcam 250 or an SX-70.

Review of New Polaroid 300

In the summer of 2009 I picked the wrong time to start my Polaroid obsession since the film would be discontinued later that year. Sure film is still around at 10 shots for $20+ a pack and it's getting a little better since the Impossible Project started remaking the instant film at a snails pace (8 shots for $14+). Needless to say when I read about the release of the new Polaroid 300, I was more then intrigued and even tho there has been mixed reviews, most of those reviews are from people that don't give two shits about the old style Polaroids so I just had to see for myself.

Unlike the classic Polaroids with the iconic square format, the Polaroid 300 camera takes an odd business card sized film which begs the question, "why the hell the small size?" The camera is ugly and doesn't come close to resembling any of the classic Polaroid cameras, in fact, the camera was designed by Fujifilm and Polaroid just rebranded it. The body is made of decent quality plastic, however the camera is very rounded and slippery (it likes to glide across tables and crash to the floor if you don't set it down gently). My Polaroid camera of choice is the SX-70 which allows manual adjustment of exposure and the option NOT to have a flash go off. The new 300 series has a flash that will fire no matter the setting, which includes 4 odd choices: indoor, cloudy, fine & clear. The fine and clear settings totally baffle me. The "clear" setting is for bright sun, however all my shots were way over exposed on this setting when shooting in bright sunlight (and no I wasn't shooting into the sun). I went through a whole pack of film (10 shots for $10) just testing the lighting conditions. I found this camera to be very finicky even more so then the SX-70. As for the colors, I'd have to say they're a little off with the 300 and you don't get that amazing vignetting effect or the vivid color saturation of the square format Polaroids.

Final Verdict:

My old 1970's era SX-70 is still by far the best choice for Polaroids and probably always will be (unless Lady Gaga actually does something worth while as creative director). But until Polaroid or the Impossible Project start making affordable film for the old school cameras, the new 300 will be my temporary fix for instant gratification.

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Below are shot with an SX-70 to compare contrast

Carnivorous Plant exhibit

Taken at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus Ohio.