Tuesday, 29 January 2013

The Burj Khalifa Pinnacle Panorama


Gerald Donovan's stunning 360 degree interactive panorama of Dubai taken from the top of the Burj Khalifa. I'm doing something I rarely/never do in mixing business with pleasure, as we worked together on the campaign to release this image to a select number of major international media outlets.

I do recommend a visit (it's linked here) - and particularly if you're able to go there from a tablet or smartphone. The fun of ducking, weaving and bobbing around a room like a lunatic as you fly through the sky 828 metres above Dubai is inestimable.

The image is being hosted by HIPA - His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid's International Photography Award. Promoters of all things photographic, they have been highly supportive throughout the whole process, from conception to sharing.

Being 'on the inside' of this one was almost unbearable. Mr D and I are both children at heart and so keeping a lid on this was totally alien to the geek in both of us which just wanted to share the fun. More so for Gerald - he's the one wot climbed the last 200 metres above the upper limit of the Burj's 10 metre per second lifts (the 160th floor) and then stood in the small 1.5 metre circular pit at the pinnacle of the world's tallest tower and snapped tens of shots to be stitched painstakingly together into this amazing interactive/experiential image/thing.

He earnestly assures me the whole experience brought no sense of vertigo whatsoever. I still don't believe him.

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4 comments:

gerald.d said...

I haven't showed you the video where I stick my head over the edge, look straight down, and go "wheeeeeeeeee", have I?

#novertigo :)

Abu Jazz said...

Very interesting. Well done to you guys on both fronts.

Couple of questions:

How did you guys manage to gain access to that place up there?
How long did it take to capture all pics? (I'm assuming one go would not have been enough for 70 pics?)
Why does the picture of the Burj from top look as if it was taken from a plane or a satellite? (my colleague insists it's taken from a copter).

Well, maybe it is a story by itself :)

Alexander said...

Hey Jazz

It's not guys, but guy - I didn't go up there at all, it's all Gerald's work.

I know from working on the release & our many chats that Mr D took 15 minutes to get the panoramic head to shoot the majority of the images and then did fill-in images and yes, it was all done in one trip!

Liz English said...

Absolutely astonishing, I really is an amazing sight, can't imagine what it must have been like to be right up the top and looking down, very scary.

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