janie fitzgerald anza borrego desert, 158k

Working in a new medium is a challenging task for any artist. If the medium the artist is approaching is also new, this adds a whole new dimension. Not only is the artist unexperienced with the medium, she can't look to other people's work for inspiration and ideas. Its often uncomfortable position for an artist, as they are forced to be a "pioneer."

QuickTime VR was released by Apple in 1995. The technology is Apple's take on "virtual reality," featuring two kinds of movie files that were incorporated into the QuickTime architecture. One was an object movie, allowing a photographer to photograph an object from many angles and then the user to move the object around as if it was in front of her. The other form of VR movie is the more popular type, the panorama. The panorama is a 360 wrap around view of a space that requires the photographer to take several pictures and "stitch" them together to make a seamless image. Several nodes (each node is one 360 view) can be attached, allowing the user to navigate through a space. The first example of this that developers saw was a walk-through of the Apple company store.

Most QTVR panorama movies are of views of skylines of cities, natural wonders like Monument Valley and so on. Janie Fitzgerald's work moves beyond doing a good job capturing a nice vista; she uses nature as one part in something she is creating. She also uses PhotoShop to alter the images she captures. Her work does something most of the postcard-like QTVR movies do not: creates a mood and atmosphere. Check out the examples of her work and our interview. -- wb

what kind of background do have in terms of a photo career, your training and main influences?

janie fitzgerald a garden, 240k

My primary influence and inspiration has been music. Painting and illustration has also been an inspiration and some of the photographers that originally had me pouring over their work are the masters of photography. I'd search in libraries and bookstores to see their work. Steiglitz, Atget, Man Ray, Kertesz, Mary Ellen Mark, Irving Penn, Henri Cartier Bresson, Imogen Cunningham, Diane Arbus, Ansel Adams, Garry Winogrand, Jerry Uelsman, Ernst Haas and more.

at what point did you get into digital images?

While I was learning photography, I worked at a pioneering computer animation studio in Hollywood and would make photos at night and on the weekends. I was around Silicon Graphics computers and specialized optical equipment, and it was there that I had a chance to learn Photoshop early on. Working in the world of computer graphics production, I saw virtual reality when it first was at SIGGRAPH, it was mindblowing. It was exciting to see everything evolving, but the focus for my own work was photography, or a blend of both. I finally left the animation company to open my photography studio, doing portraits and documentary and street work. I worked at this for a few years and was doing well, and then I saw QuickTimeVR. That day changed things.

at what point did you get into QTVR?

In June of 1994, I saw QuickTimeVR at the American Film Institute at a presentation of QuickTime 2.0 given by Apple. It was a year before the release but they showed it briefly to a small group of people that day. I was probably the only photographer there. They said it was something they were working on in their Advanced Technology Group. After that event, I began composing in VR, trying to figure it out. It was good that I couldn't get any information about how to shoot it, I was left to explore it on my own, wondering and answering my own questions. It would be nine long months before they sent me an NDA to read the technical manual so they could hire me for a shoot.

as a photographer, what kind of artistic considerations did you have when you approached QTVR?

At first, I did not know how Apple was making these 360 movies, it was such a mystery. It was an interesting way to create a picture and tell a story. I had already seen virtual reality several times by then, so my imagination could fill in the blanks. When making this work, it is to inspire a sense of wonder, excitement, interest or empathy, while being in the virtual environment, this is what I hope for.

what are the major limitations of this technology? (in terms of the format and the authoring)?

It's not easy to make, but I believe there may be more limitations in what people think are limitations. I think it is new and there is a lot to be discovered within VR right now and in the future implementations of it. In terms of the format, it is viewable on Mac and Windows, and the file sizes are small so it works well for the web.

what is the artistic dimension that QTVR allows you to explore, that regular, "flat" photography does not?

janie fitzgerald glass window, 474k

It's a blend of still imagery and motion pictures. The uniqueness is that it's non-linear so it seems to suspend the dimension of time. It does this by giving the viewer the choice to look where they want but also "when" they want. I am not suggesting that watching a movie is not often even more engaging then a virtual environment - but it is just very different. Movies have had a long time to get good, virtual reality is new....and it depends upon what is on that screen. What is the story, what does it say.

are there different inspirations for your QTVRs than regular photography?

Yes, in a way. I find myself experiencing environments much differently. I used to be inspired visually either by details, or interesting landscapes for example, but in each case it was always looking in one direction which was forward. Now that has changed. I'm much more aware of what is all around me, not just what's in front of me. Objects are curious in a new way as well.

how do you set up or plan these shots?

It's always different, these three pieces had different approaches. The desert I knew I was going to shoot in infrared the day I drove out there, but I didn't realize how hard it would be until I got out there in the desert, alone in the 110 heat trying to carry my heavy gear around and changing film in a black bag because infrared film is so sensitive. I also had not been shooting QTVR for long, so it was a learning experience but one of my favorite pieces.

how much is photoshop a part of your QTVRs?

Photoshop and a great exposure are a huge part of this...and a good subject. Working with my service bureaus to have all my work scanned to digital is also a big part of it. This kind of work needs support to do it right, especially on large projects.

what is coming next with QTVR?

First of all, object movies have a lot of animation possibilities that have barely been tapped by artists. The new features of QT 3.0 are good, it's geared for the web instead of CD-Rom, and there's a lot you can do with it. One can simulate the environment's sounds which is great. Since the recent release of the new QuickTime VR Authoring Studio it has made it much easier for people to create QTVR, instead of code only.

what new thing would you like to see in QTVR (in the work and the tech)?

More creativity. More thought put into the "what" of it. I think we have plenty of tools to work with (as far as the technologies available) - and there will be continued new developments, but I'd like to see larger creative projects being produced in this medium. I would also like to see the VR movies full screen with the immersiveness and interactivity available in QTVR 2.0.

The VR work from many artists on exhibit on my VrView website is exceptional (http://www.vrview.com). This website is sponsored by Eastman Kodak and Apple Computer to exhibit non-commercial work being done in the medium. Artists from all over the world have sent in work, and the project is ongoing and has just begun so it's really exciting. It's a project I have wanted to do for a long time, and it finally happened.

do you do this for clients? if so can you talk a little bit about that? (which clients, what kind of stuff)?

Yes, I have done quite a bit of commercial work. Some of the projects I've completed are: Batman and Robin (from filmsets) CDROM game for Warner Brothers and Apple Computer. The filmsets for ER, Friends, Babylon5 shows for Warner Bros. Dodger Stadium, Yosemite National Park, Timothy Leary's Home, The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Aardman Animations in England, Steve Vai's recording studio.....and others. There are links on my website to these (http://www.axisimages.com)

do you take the artistic sensibilities from your personal work to the client work?

I have completed several commercial projects in QTVR for three years now. I think one of the reasons I've worked for so many clients is probably because of my personal work. I've put together a large body of work, half personal work and half commercial, as I hope people enjoy seeing the personal work.