Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski is a champion equestrienne, television host and actress from the Philippines. She was a gold medalist in the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea. She is the niece of former Philippine President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, first cousin of fellow actress Kris Aquino and current Philippine President Noynoy Aquino.
I’ve known Mikee since 1997 when I created her official website which I continue to maintain to this day. I created some CGI visual effects for her TV show “Mikee” in 1997 and also provided some computer tech support for her through the years.
Having seen several multiplicity gigapixel action images, I wanted to create something similar. Mikee was very excited about the idea when I proposed it to her in 2011. We finally had the chance to execute this project during my brief visit to the Philippines in early 2012. Special thanks to Alice Dixson, Michelle Barrera (Mikee’s niece and fellow equestrienne) and Renacelle Cruz-Punzalan for their assistance during the shoot at Manila Polo Club.
Vancouver’s skyline from the neighborhood of Fairview is one of the most popular views of the city. It is difficult to gain access to any building in the area to shoot a gigapixel photo for several hours. But on Feb 27, 2012, with the help of Hweely Lim of Westbank Corp. and Matt Ward, I finally had the chance to shoot from a building with a breathtaking 240-degree view.
The Day version is a 6.77-gigapixel image (6,766 megapixels) composed of 840 individual photos stitched together and taken with a Canon 5D MKII and a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens.
The Dusk and Night versions are 1-gigapixel images made up of 110 photos each and shot with a Canon 5D MKII and a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens.
Gigapixel photographer Ronnie Miranda staged GigaLinc: An Immersive Gigapixel Photography Exhibit at the Blue Moon Theatre of the Shangri-la Hotel in Vancouver, BC on October 13th & 14th, 2011. The exhibit was held in collaboration with Samuel Cox who developed GigaLinc for his Master’s degree in Digital Imaging and Photography at the University of Lincoln, UK.
GigaLinc is an exhibition that allows participants to interactively explore large-scale panoramic images. Gigapixel images (100 times the information captured by a 10 megapixel digital camera) are digitally projected onto a large screen that allows viewers to navigate and explore the image in detail using Kinect-based hand-gestures, zooming in and out of areas of particular interest. Surround-sound adds to the multi-sensory experience.
GigaLinc explores the world of immersive photography and the possibilities it offers for changing the way we look at and use photographic images. It does this through digital technologies that allows the viewer to ‘step inside’ and move around large panoramic images, presented in astonishing levels of detail. As the perspective changes, the viewer feels as if he or she is actually ‘immersed’ in the scene.
The technology consists of several features: the hand tracking utilizes an Xbox Kinect to input gesture based commands that runs on open source software. Arduino allows the participants to select their image just by tapping one touch-pad on the floor.
The gigalinc immersive technology was a truly outstanding experience. To be taken right into the scene and be able to view the images using your own movements was an amazing experience. The interaction with the images was so futuristic I felt that I was in a movie set years into the future. Jeff Froehlich, Director of Sales and Marketing, Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver
The GigaLinc Immersive experience is a great way for brands to attract attention to their products or services in a live setting. As a sponsorship consultant working with many brands and properties, the possibilities for sponsors to activate their partnerships and engage live audiences at major sporting events, festivals, retail locations, and tradeshows are endless. Deborah Jones, Sponsorship Central
The Gigalinc experience is unlike anything else. Captain your own roller coaster ride through massive landscapes and crowd scenes using hand gestures to zoom in and out to discovering facial expressions and other small details. It’s an incredible sensory experience, it almost feels like flying. Tanis Tsisserev, APR, T2 Communications Inc.
Photography has always been a passion of mine and even though I didn’t think it was possible the Gigalinc Immersive Experience has truly changed the landscape. The amount of interactivity that will now be a part of viewing photos is incredible. Thank you for showcasing this product at the Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver. Adam Nagy, Digital Marketing Manager, Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver
The new BC Place Stadium reopened on September 30, 2011. Renovations, upgrades and its new cable-supported retractable roof cost CA$563 million. The opening game was between the CFL’s BC Lions and the Edmonton Eskimos. Here’s a 4.8 gigapixel image of the opening ceremonies.
Here’s 2nd gigapixel image on October 2, 2011 for first game of the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS at the new stadium.
