In May 2007 mobile phone photographer Henry Reichhold visited Sydney as part of his ‘Connected Worlds’ project. As Reichhold describes it, ‘The “Connected Worlds” project aims to create two exhibitions; one “realworld”, and one virtual. The dual nature of this approach will reflect the way in which images are being shared across the world. The two exhibitions will open simultaneously at the Royal Albert Hall and on Nokia’s Secondlife Island on October 24, 2007.’
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In May 2007 mobile phone photographer Henry Reichhold visited Sydney as part of his ‘Connected Worlds’ project. As Reichhold describes it, ‘The “Connected Worlds” project aims to create two exhibitions; one “realworld”, and one virtual. The dual nature of this approach will reflect the way in which images are being shared across the world. The two exhibitions will open simultaneously at the Royal Albert Hall and on Nokia’s Secondlife Island on October 24, 2007.’ 
Rain showers over Singapore Readers of Photo Review Issue 24 Pixel (Im)perfect article may recall that Reichhold’s technique typically involves assembling and blending around 20 separate pictures with a software tool called Realviz Stitcher Unlimited. ‘At up to eight metres long’ says Reichhold, ‘the images set out to challenge how we look at mobile phone imaging and create a vibrant panoramic portrait of the elements that make each city unique.’  Opera House silhouette We asked Henry to talk a little about how he likes to work. Here’s what he sent us: ‘Most of the images (except the night shots) were shot handheld, the camera is set to its “sequence” mode which allows you to take up to six shots in a short burst. Nodal points are flaunted and panoramic heads and all other technical aids to panoramic imaging are left at home in their boxes. This is very much flying by the seat of your pants stuff; the camera is held as still as possible as the images are recorded, allowing for approx a 1/3rd overlap of each image. ‘The N95 has a lot of controls including two functions that are crucial to getting a good panoramic image. First, the white balance can be set manually, so a consistency of colour is maintained throughout the image. Second, and most important of all, is the camera’s ability to lock the exposure by half-pressing the shutter. You find the optimum exposure by moving the camera around the scene of the panorama and then lock this for the sequence mode, so allowing a consistent series of exposures to be made.  Ghost City For example, to create the “Ghost City” shot of Hong Kong (above), a series of shots was first taken to capture all the mid-tones (approximately 15 shots). This is then repeated twice to shoot the shadow and highlight areas, making for a total of about 45 shots. The best images are then combined in Stitcher Unlimited to create the final picture. Stitcher Unlimited is excellent at blending the tones, and any other problems can be resolved by using Photoshop to tackle issues such as colour noise and those occasions where manual stitching is the only solution. The high resolution of the camera is also real asset (he N95 has a 5-megapixel sensor). It makes single shots a viable option, and when a whole series of images are pooled together to create one panorama, the results are fantastic.’ For more information see Henry Reichold’s site at www.reicholdarts.com. Related article: Pixel (Im)perfect To see more photographer profiles, click here |