The 360° Perspective

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#SY-03: Thorne Hall, Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center (February 2018)

Here's a panorama I took with my tripod on a chilly day in Wooster, Ohio. Because the architecture is neat, I thought this would be a good spot to test out before I began taking on larger projects in the future, which I will detail in a later post. This photo is also a source of historical interest. OARDC has begun designing the new entomology building for its campus, with a cost of $33.5 million. Following the construction of this new building, Thorne Hall (brick building with dormers) will be demolished after standing for 100 years. Before its demolition, I hope to get a tour, and potentially take you with me on a 360 video tour.

Camera: Samsung Gear 360 (2017)

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#SY-02: Fraternity Circle (February 13, 2018)

On that afternoon, I went outside with my roommate, Jack, to demonstrate the power of my new camera. Using a Polaroid selfie stick, I accidentally captured 20 seconds of video before realizing my mistake. After changing the settings, we captured a landmark photo. When I uploaded this photo to Google Street View, I deleted my previous entry to Fraternity Circle, which is listed as “#P-01″ on this blog.

Camera: Samsung Gear 360 (2017) Link to Street View: https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0012835,-81.7407958,3a,90y,8.61h,78.66t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNvrB-Asal511lv_WRsUx02Z9PwGhJZ69OhRawe!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNvrB-Asal511lv_WRsUx02Z9PwGhJZ69OhRawe%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya94.41505-ro-0-fo100!7i5472!8i2736

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#SY-01: Kappa Sigma Game Room (February 12, 2018)

Here it is, my first 360-degree panorama taken by a device other than my phone. To start a new series of photos, I am going with the “SY-” prefix, indicating a photo taken during my senior year. After finally figuring out my budget and the direction I wanted to go with photography, the Samsung Gear 360 (2017 Model) became the most feasible one I could buy. While it is not the best camera on the market, it is hard to beat at $200. Plus, I can now do 360-degree videos, which I may show off in the not-too-distant future.

In this image, I went down to the game room at the Kappa Sigma house, located at Muskingum University. There is not much special in the shot, but I decided to capture the only mural the house has left. When the chapter’s charter was removed in 2007, the house was then renovated as an alternative dormitory. All murals, except this one, were painted over. Should anything happen to our house again, history has been recorded.

Camera: Samsung Gear 360 (2017) Link to Street View: https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0014217,-81.7415666,3a,75y,6.4h,87.79t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOMcR3ok9gRoStpB-5RwvjEZnepW4ZprsfIjKhb!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOMcR3ok9gRoStpB-5RwvjEZnepW4ZprsfIjKhb%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya318.19876-ro0-fo100!7i5472!8i2736

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#P-22: Anne C. Steele Center Gym (July 2017)

Coming up with the title for this panorama was tough. My blood and mentality said “Rec Center Gym.” However, it has been nearly two years since the Recreation Center was renamed to Anne C. Steele Center, and future viewers of this blog may wonder why I don’t keep up with names. That’s a story to ask people at Muskingum.

This is the only panorama I uploaded during my summer job working for the University Physical Plant, which was actually a fun time for me. I took two other panoramas on campus during the summer, with one in the football locker room, and one in the Townhouses. The former turned out botched and to this day, it sits on my Google account as a reminder that I haven’t published it. I may put it up here for curiosity’s sake at some point. As for the Townhouse photo, it was near-perfect until my coworker walked in at the very last shot and in a haste, I turned my phone’s screen off, which destroyed all previous shots before stitching. I didn’t reattempt the photo, but I know that the Townhouses are a spot potential Muskies need to see, so I’ll revisit them too.

This photo concludes my “Prehistoric” panorama series. While I did take other photos with my phone later on, they were only for testing other Street View functions and hold no significance to my blog. They have been archived for later use.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 303

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#P-21: Caldwell Hall, Television Studio (January 2017)

During my time working for Orbit Media, I got to assist in a few TV productions by operating one of the cameras. On the side, I got to help out two good friends (Matt Triola and Aaron “Ace” Eno) with their show, Cinema Wars. This was a fun part of my gig, and I got to see passion beyond the camera when these two were able to talk about their favorite subject: movies. Down the road, I would love to do another project with them. You can check out their work on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3O9IZpemVy-ANxH8QLLA2g/videos

Unfortunately, I do not remember which episodes I helped record. When the day comes though, I will revisit this place for a better panorama. 

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 473

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#P-20: Caldwell Hall, TV Editing Room (January 2017)

Likely a Thursday evening, as I recorded chapel with the single camera that afternoon and did not have time until much later to transfer it to Cable Television. That was a complicated process which required the video to be transferred in real time to the system. Attempts to simply convert the raw video file over that year had been unsuccessful, and something I wish I could have solved.

Also one of my worst panoramas. I’ll revisit this place someday.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 452

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#P-19: Caldwell Hall, Sandra Wolfe Thompson Theatre (January 2017)

One of campus’s best spots, and it has a story of its own to tell. For most of Muskingum’s history, they held theatre only in spaces that were adapted and modified to fit the needs of the department. The Alumni Gymnasium became the Little Theatre, and Johnson Hall’s chapel became Layton Theatre. While both were popular venues for years, they simply were not enough. In 2004, Thompson Theatre opened its doors for the first time, and as the first space made specially for Muskingum University’s Theatre Department.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 799

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#P-18: Caldwell Hall Newsroom (January 2017)

During my years at college, I swore that I would never join Orbit Media, the student newspaper/TV/radio station. So my junior year, I joined them and became part of a transition from single-camera recording at events, to multi-cam recording. It’s actually a fun story to tell, but it actually isn’t a part of this photo’s story.

No, I just took this when I was copying something to the Cable Television system during my junior year and had a stupid amount of free time. This is one of my favorite rooms on campus, and while I’m proud of the stitching job done to the floor, the rest leaves a lot to be desired. I would like to revisit this place when I begin taking promotional panoramas for Muskingum University.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 291

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#P-17: Walter Hall Recital Hall (January 2017)

This one did not turn out as nice as I had hoped, despite the room being in a perfect setup for this kind of photo. It also ended up being the least-viewed photo that is easy to stumble upon.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 276

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#P-16: Walter Hall Atrium (January 2017)

This is one of my least favorite panoramas of one of campus’s best photo ops. I don’t regret pulling this one.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 534

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#P-15: Brown Chapel (January 2017)

This was taken on a Thursday morning, likely before chapel started. This is in fact one of my favorite buildings on campus as it has survived for well over a hundred years. I did attempt to get a 360° on the balcony, but that failed miserably and I did not save it.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 1,059

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#P-14: The Roberta A. Smith Library (January 2017)

A year after the school’s freshly renovated library opened, I decided to take a picture in one of campus’s best study centers. This is in the added-on section to the original unnamed Library, which was built in 1960 and was notoriously a bland design until 2015.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 718

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#P-13: John Glenn Gymnasium Swimming Pool (January 2017)

Welcome to the campus swimming pool. You didn’t know we had one? Not many people do as the one in John Glenn Gym is somewhat obscure. However, it is still a nice spot on campus not everyone sees, hence the reason I took the photo. 

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 1,008

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#P-12: Bathroom, John Glenn Gymnasium (January 2017)

I got bored and decided to take a 360° in one of campus’s strangest areas. This sketchy looking bathroom has always been a place where I wanted to shoot some kind of horror film, simply because of its abandoned look. It is another reason I’m taking my photos down, I don’t want to pass the wrong message to prospectives who drop the Street View person in the wrong blip.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 892

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#P-11: John Glenn Gymnasium (January 2017)

A new year started a new era for my 360° panoramas. My Motorola X was dying and my aunt was generous again to upgrade my phone, this time to a Samsung Galaxy S7. This resulted in much higher-resolution panoramas. However, the software’s stitching hadn’t improved much by this time.

This 360° is one of my personal favorites because of how it bends one of my favorite buildings together, and how the photo looks when not moving around in Street View.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Views on Google: 720

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#P-10: The President’s Manse (September 2016)

In July 2016, the message was clear. The Manse’s foundation had been damaged beyond any worthy repair, and the painful decision to demolish it had been made. It’s understandable that some history cannot always be preserved if not maintained. 

Early in my junior year, I decided to get back into 360° panoramas and felt that this would be a harmless spot to capture. However, this panorama is another reason behind my motive to upgrade to a camera, and use it for good captures. This is admittedly one of my most embarrassing photos, and not because of what I captured.

This was my most popular street view on Google, doubling the views of the second-most popular on the Quad. As a result, this photo was the first street view that Google would pull up when searching for Muskingum University. When I found that out, I was a bit shocked, a bit flattered, but like the Manse, some history when imperfect must come down.

Camera: Motorola X (First Gen) Views on Google: 66,379

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#P-9: Neptune Center, Palmer Art Gallery, and Paul Hall (April 2016)

The year before I came to school, Muskingum finished its shaping of the East Campus with the opening of the Louis O. Palmer Art Gallery. Today, it’s a quiet section of campus but a nice one to visit. This panorama is the last one I took that shows the President’s Manse, and the last panorama I took during my sophomore year.

Camera: Motorola X (First Gen) Views on Google: 1,127