The need for spherical photography arose from the discovery of a fantastic new world of illusionistic techniques. These techniques, including the geometrically elegant circular perspective, were discovered in the 1970's.
Because these techniques allow fields of view of greater than 180 degrees (like the city scene shown below), a new form of photography capable of shooting all that is visible from a given vantage point had to be invented. This form of photography is called spherical photography. A picture taken in this way is called a picto.
©
1994 by Ford Oxaal. Picto also by Ford Oxaal -- rendered here in circular perspective
with Minds-Eye-View™ software.
The first pictos were created by Ford Oxaal using two carefully aligned fisheye photographs.
Before the invention of spherical photography, paintings were the most practical way to execute the new illusionistic techniques.
For example, here is a circular perspective portrait of inventor Ford Oxaal. The four by four foot painting is believed to be the very first circular perspective painting. The painting was created by Oxaal and David Shaw, using only compass, straight edge, and the knowledge of circular perspective constructive techniques.
Oil on masonite, 4 x 4 feet, circular perspective, © 1978 by Ford Oxaal and David Shaw
The illusionistic techniques of perspective in general, including the linear perspective of the 1400's, and the circular perspective of the 1970's, may be understood as visual stimuli which induce shapes in the mind of the observer proportional (geometrically similar) to the shapes induced by some real view. In this context, linear perspective may be understood as a special case (albeit a very important special case) along an entire range of perspectives. This range is called the perspective continuum.
Linear perspective, discovered 500 years ago, is a special case along the continuum which induces congruent shapes in the mind of the observer.
Circular perspective, discovered in 1976, is a special case which induces similar shapes at precisely half their original size.
Simple perspective, discovered in 1976, is a special case which induces similar shapes at an infinitesimal proportion of their original size. This seems useless: because the shapes are so small, you can't see them. But when you blow these shapes up, you end up with a physical rendering of the proportions of shapes as they occur in the mind. This may be understood as the geometry of visual perception -- literally, a mind's eye view. Please download our educational materials for more information, when they become available.