Working for Magnum Photos, i have the great pleasure of experiencing first-hand some of the world’s best photographs and photographers. So it really pleases me to learn that Microsoft have recently announced that their Live Labs division has been developing a new 3D photomodeling tool calleed Photosynth. I love traditional photography, but i also love seeing new ways of extending traditional prints using digital technology. Most digital imaging enhancement technology attempts to manipulate or distort the original photograph. However, Photosynth keeps the original image intact and extends the original view of the image.
Before reading on, please spend a few minutes reviewing their product tour video.
There have been photo modeling tools in one shape or another for a good number of years, but the shear brilliance of this new tool is amazing. The demo video demonstrates several architectural photos of St Peters Square which are montaged together to create a virtual 3D model of the landscape. Users are then able to ’stroll’ or ‘explore’ the digital environment like a real person would.
Now imagagine taking this idea and and applying it to real events, such as a concert, demonstration march, riot or civil disturbance?..Now that would be amazing.
So why am i talking about this? Well from a commerical perspective this type of tool would be very useful for organisations who are involved in reportage, sport or music - particularly those who wish to innovate online. If you integrated the photosynth models with podcasts, video and music, this would be a service that a lot of teenagers would die for. The first social network to perfect this combined platform would without doubt be able to take over the mighty MySpace.