For some travelers, just getting away from it all is what they're really after. For others, taking photos of their vacations goes without saying. My favorite way to relive those memories is with VR photos - yes, Virtual Reality.
It's hard to put into words if you've never experienced it. But if you're thinking that it's nothing more than looking at a panoramic photo from up close, that's not even the tip of the iceberg.
Before going further, all you need to make your own, genuine 3D VR photos is Google's free 'Cardboard Camera' app. It's called cardboard because they also released a simple specification for making a smartphone-compatible visor out of cardboard. While there are multiple more comfortable visors in the market, what is more important is that your smartphone can produce real VR photos!
The app also comes preloaded with photos, but you can make your own. You create them the same way you would create panoramic photos, simply by scanning the scene with your phone from left to right. There really is nothing more to it. You can make a full 360-degree VR photo, or a narrower one if you wish. Recording audio during your shot is also possible, and really adds to the moment when you experience it later.
From there, the app then processes the photo to create a true VR photo. When you see your first VR photo for the first time through a 3D visor, you will be amazed.
I've taken quite a few VR photos, but this one is still my favorite, and from my first vacation with this app in the Dominican Republic:
https://goo.gl/vrphoto/saW0czON6ASARMAt2
A few notes:
(1) When you free up space from your Android phone through Google's 'Photos' app, it will remove your VR photos as well, and they won't be listed in the 'Cardboard Camera' app anymore. To fix this, search 'vr' in the photos app, and redownload them. They'll stay on your phone thereafter.
(2) Try getting scenes without moving subjects, like people walking. Wait for them to pass by. You can also cancel a photo you are currently making, so you don't have to worry about clogging up your phone with unwanted photos, because they do use more memory.
(3) There are other VR apps and games available. But sticking to photography, you can explore the world with Google's 'Streetview' app, which has curated and user-friendly uploaded VR photos. Ancient ruins, volcanos, you make it.
(4) The web is full of 3D photos, and not just from recent times. Have you ever seen President Abraham Lincoln in 3D?
You can see more on your own by searching images on Google like 'civil war stereographic photos'. I was amazed at how many there are online, and how far back they go. And they work with today's smartphone and visor just as well!
This really is a new and exciting way to relive your past memories, thanks to some very clever software that can be used on the smartphone you already have! Even if you don't have a visor yet, you can still start taking VR photos today!