Part 10 - the (close) Encounters Project
Original first posting of this article was Ocober 2011
About the ( close ) Encounters project
This is a ongoing *) project that started about 2009 and is called the ( close ) Encounters.
The HDR ( High Dynamic Range ) portrait panorama’s are made out of 63 pictures (minimal 9 exposures per angle, 7 angles so 63 images are used to make a HDR portrait panorama.
That makes taking the image with some thrill — it could be ruined due to the fact that if the people are moving the portrait could fail. That idea makes it fascinating for me to do it, Its always exiting to shoot. Warn the "customers" *) in advance: “we will see in the final image who moved, so do not dare to move!” Until now ( almost ) everyone has listened very good in the portrait shoots from the last years.
More background about this project please see here.
*) this is a non - commercial project
( close ) Encounters project - Part 10 - Minny Pops
Minny Pops is an Amsterdam-based new wave/electronic/art punk band, associated with the Ultra post-punk movement in the Netherlands and the Factory Records label in the UK ( excerpt from the Wikipedia page please see below ).
Websites
The official website of Minny Pops including live archive, discography and much more
HDR Panorama’s
First just show the HDR panorama's. Below those you can find some more info how this project started and other background notes plus additional images.
There were several changes in the members of the band but we kept it with 8 different settings. Shot also a group HDR panorama ( with all the members in one panorama ) only a pity, that one has many lighting problems, fixing it most likely be possible only no time to do.
Minny Pops members from left to right: 1) Frans Hagenaars 2) Peter Mertens 3) Wally van Middendorp
ATTENTION!:
when clicking on view 360°/VR another browser window opens so if nothing happens check the Block Popup window.
Minny Pops members from left to right: 1) Frans Hagenaars 2) Stephen Emmer 3) Dennis Duchhart 4) Wally van Middendorp
Minny Pops members from left to right: 1) Wim Dekker 2) Stephen Emmer 3) Dennis Duchhart 4) Wally van Middendorp
Minny Pops members from left to right: 1) Wim Dekker 2) Gerard Walhof 3) Wally van Middendorp
Minny Pops members from left to right: 1) Wim Dekker 2) Gerard Walhof 3) Stephan Emmer 4) Wally van Middendorp
Minny Pops members from left to right: 1) Wim Dekker 2) Wally van Middendorp
Minny Pops members from left to right: 1) Wim Dekker 2) Pieter Mulder 3) Orpheus Roovers 4) Wally van Middendorp
Minny Pops members from left to right: 1) Wim Dekker 2) Pieter Mulder 3) Dennis Duchhart 4) Wally van Middendorp
How the project started
When visiting my friend Peter we mostly end late at night with the fine tunes of the Minny Pops. One day came back from a visit thought “what the heck lets mail the Minny Pops, perhaps they are liking the idea of making an HDR panorama portret” and fully aware that the band not have been active for along time. Very quickly after sending that mail got a mail back from Wally van Middendorp , where wrote that he liked the idea but was asking who I was….. so the ball started rolling. The fun part is that ( I did not knew it before sending the first mail) that they were in the early planning of some new shows after a long time! And even recorded a new double A-sided 7" single , Waiting for This To Happen/Glistering that was published in 2012!
2012 song Glistering
2020 New Song!
Technical information
The panorama portraits all were shot in HDRI (9 exposures per angle).
The original RAW files from the camera were converted to 16 bit tiff files.
Below you can see a example angle 9 exposure.
Every angle exposures the merged into a HDR file with Photomatix. Next used PTGUI Pro to stitch the 7 HDR files into a spherical HDR.
Those final HDR spherical panorama’s
Peter did the tonemapping with Photomatix & the final color correction & retouche with Photoshop. We choose for a “warm sunny ” look of the images.
The day of the shoot
Here are some images shot before & after the shoot.
Before
The woman in the first image is my girlfriend and the tall guy in black is my best friend Peter who did also the color correction! Also a first meeting picture with Wally van Middendorp who opens the door. The guy thats just had taste of a nice Belgium beer is Bob the guy who's writing this.
After
Final words
Big thanks to the Minny Pops, Peter & Mireille!
Last update 4 December 2020:
Next HDR panorama portrait adventure is not known yet. For sure there will popup a new one somewhere in the future.
Other Editions ( close ) Encounters
Note:
Not had the time to put all older ( close ) Encounters back online. Below you can see all HDR panorama portrait 's that are currently online. The rest will appear later.
( close ) Encounters Part 1
( close ) Encounters Part 2
( close ) Encounters Part 3
( close ) Encounters Part 4
( close ) Encounters Part 5
( close ) Encounters Part 6
( close ) Encounters Part 7
( close ) Encounters Part 8
( close ) Encounters Part 9
( close ) Encounters Part 10
( close ) Encounters Part 11
( close ) Encounters Part 13
( close ) Encounters Part 14
( close ) Encounters Part 15
( close ) Encounters Part 16
( close ) Encounters Part 17
More background about this project please see here.