What Does a Google Business Photographer Do?

Business  •  Photography Tips

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a photographer for Google’s new Street View ventures inside buildings? Photographers all over the world are working to create 360 degree imagery that allows anyone with an Internet connection to be an armchair traveler. Now expanding Street View to include the insides of business and monuments, Google is seeking out independent photographers to work with companies that want to show off their spaces.

Jeremy Powlus photographs the interiors of offices, retail establishments, and car dealerships for Google Business Photos. Learn more about what he does by watching the following video:

Though Google approves many different camera bodies, Powlus uses his Canon 7D for his shoots. The crop sensor produces just a small amount of vignetting, so he throws away less of the image than he would if he used a camera with a full frame sensor.

The camera is affixed to a regular tripod with a specialty mount that is centered on the focal point. This eliminates perspective shift between shots that would make post-process stitching more difficult. An extremely wide angle 8mm lens is used to provide a 180 degree field of view that creates the signature panoramas used by Google Maps.

Powlus works with business owners and uses his own creativity to choose the points of interest within a business. For each point of interest, he takes 12 photos—three bracketed photos for each 90 degree increment. Software is then used to blend the images together with a semi-HDR effect. Each hour of shooting results in two to three hours of post-processing and uploading.

Panoramic photography requires some special equipment and a lot of patience. It not only takes mastery of the camera but also a good understanding of post-processing methods. Powlus is just one of many Google Business Photographers using their technical and creative photography skills to make more of the world visible to everyone.