15-463 Computational Photography
"The Vertigo Shot" - Sept. 03, 2007

Anna Michalska

Scene 1

Phipps Botany Hall Garden & Botany Hall


Scene 2

Phipps Conservatory & Cathedral of Learning


Write-up

Aim:
Duplicate in-camera effect called "the Vertigo shot" in two different scenes
by moving the camera away from a subject whilst the lens zooms in
or by moving the camera towards a subject whilst the lens zooms out.

Process of completion:
- Choosing a subject and placing it as a central part of the camera's preview screen
- Taking a shot
- Moving away from a subject, zooming in a camera to keep the subject same size
- Taking a shot
- Moving away from a subject, zooming in a camera to keep the subject same size
- Taking a shot
- Moving away till maximum zoom is reached

- Repeating the whole procedure:
- Choosing a subject and placing it as a central part of the camera's preview screen
- Taking a shot
- Moving towards a subject, zooming out a camera to keep the subject same size
- Taking a shot
- Moving away from a subject, zooming in a camera to keep the subject same size
- Taking a shot
- Moving away till minimum zoom is reached

Camera:
Nikon CoolPix 4200 Point and Shoot Digital Camera
- 4.0 Effective Megapixels
- 3x Optical Zoom w/ED glass
- Maximum Aperture Range: F/2.8 - 4.9
- Focal Length Range: 7.8 - 23.4 mm

Scenes:
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens; One Shenley Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Scene 1 - Botany Hall Garden and a view on Botany Hall
Scene 2 - Plaza Entrance and a view on Cathedral of Learning

Difficulties:
- Finding nice and hidden spots to take pics (with no people walking in, no cars passing by, etc.)
(extremely challenging during sunny Labor Day Weekend)
- Keeping the subject same size in the frame while moving the camera towards/away from the subject

Bells & Whistles

Scene 1

Moving a camera towards and away from the subject, respectively:


Field of View (FOV) measured horizontally:

width of the subject (pond at the bottom) = 2.5 m
distance from the camera to the subject (minimum zoom) = 4.4 m
field of view (minimum zoom) = atan(1.25/4.4) = approx. 16 degrees
distance from the camera to the subject (maximum zoom) = 10.4 m
field of view (maximum zoom) = atan(1.25/10.4) = approx. 7 degrees

Scene 2

Moving a camera towards and away from the subject, respectively:


Field of View (FOV) measured horizontally:

width of the subject (flowers and grass) = 4.6 m
distance from the camera to the subject (minimum zoom) = 4.5 m
field of view (minimum zoom) = atan(2.3/4.5) = approx. 27 degrees
distance from the camera to the subject (maximum zoom) = 12.0 m
field of view (maximum zoom) = atan(2.3/12.0) = approx. 11 degrees

Download

Download all photos - Scene 1 [tar.gz]
Download all photos - Scene 2 [tar.gz]