Virtual Reality
Cardboard Camera image at the Mývatn Nature Baths
Virtual reality is changing the way we interact with technology and experience our environment, and has influenced the way that I document my travels. After reading a glut of information online about the DIY spirit of Google Cardboard to share cheap, easy VR to all using your phone and easily accessible and easily assembled items (cardboard, lenses, a rubber band), I gifted my husband and brother a couple of headsets two Christmases ago. Note: I bought preassembled viewers, similar to this. I think I am the only one of the three of us who uses theirs. I have been drawn into viewing VR articles produced by the NY Times, and the Overland office has enthusiastically embraced the integration of VR into our design process (read more on how Overland is using VR here).
A recent trip to San Antonio introduced me to the Cardboard Camera app, which allows individuals to take your own immersive VR photographs - 360 panoramic images with a sound clip. These can be viewed independently on your phone or with a VR headset. I tested taking few "images" out at the office in Texas and in Georgia, and was immediately hooked. They are beautiful and captivating, and the attached audio clip is icing on the cake. This absolutely needed to be used in Iceland, where the country's diverse landscapes are wide, breathtaking, and all encompassing. And use it, I did. You plant your feet, align your camera with the on-screen arrow, and rotate 360 degrees to capture a photograph. I did this 43 times. I love the results, and still continue to lose myself in my little immersive Iceland experience on my iPhone.
These can be shared in multiple ways - from phone to phone through the app, downloaded to your photo stream, or shared through a downloadable link, which is how I have chosen to share a selection of images for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
Rauðfeldar Canyon
Harpa Concert Hall, Reykjavík
City Edge, Reykjavík
By the sea, Stokkseyri
Countryside, near Keldur
Seljavallalaug (Geothermal pool)
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Svartifoss in Skaftafell, Vatnajökull National Park
Vatnajökull glacial finger
Ásbyrgi canyon
Detifoss
Mývatn Nature Baths
Stykkishólmur, Snæfellsnes peninsula
By the sea, Hellnar
