I thought it may be useful to give site visitors an explanation and a little background of some of the elements on the website. So please feel free to skip this section if you're an expert! Otherwise, I hope that you find it helpful.

What is a panorama?

Going right back to the Oxford English Dictionary, a panorama is "an unbroken view of a surrounding region". The term is a relatively recent one, being coined in 1789 by the painter, Robert Barker, who exhibited his painting of Edinburgh "The Panorama" (not termed panoramic for another 20 years) in London, charging visitors an entry fee to see this spectacle. The term was taken from the Greek 'pan' meaning 'all' and 'horama' meaning 'view' or 'see'.

Although the term was new, the concept wasn't, and long images that provided 'unbroken views' were previously known as 'prospects'. Hollar's 'The Long View' etching (created between 1636 and 1644) was hugely popular with Londoners and has given us a wealth of knowledge about London before it was decimated in 1666.

Panoramic cameras and processes have been around since 1843. The technology has gone through various incarnations over the last 150 years or so, and there are now two main methods of capturing panoramas. A 'scanning' camera (Panoscan) can be used or a series of photos can be taken and then stitched together.

What is a gigapixel panorama?

Many people are familar with the term 'Gigapan'. The GigaPan project is a collaboration between Google, Carnegie Mellon University and Nasa. The GigaPan is a robotic camera mount which allows users to capture a range of large images which can be joined together into one gigantic image. The GigaPan is only one such mount, and there are alternatives which are built and customised by individual photographers.

The gigapixel panoramas which I create are intended not just as a curiosity, but as gigantic image files which mean the images can be reproduced at large sizes whilst maintaining excellent quality. Large-scale photographic quality prints allow the user to look closely into a scene and see the detail - inside skyscraper windows for example - even from a distance. You can really get lost viewing images at this size and resolution. One of my skyline panoramas was used by an interior designer at 32 metres long on a wall at the Cable & Wireless HQ. Supersite posters, street furniture, large scale prints and architectural features are all possible with image sizes much bigger than is usually available.

What is 'alternate perspective'?

The Alternate Perspective section of my portfolio comprises 360 panoramas which have been manipulated into circular images. These are also known as polar panoramas, wee planets, little planets, little worlds and stereographic images. They give the viewer a completely different perspective on a scene and are very effective as prints.

What is a 360 Interactive?

Interactive 360s are known by an array of different names: virtual tours; 360 tours; virtual reality tours and QTVRs to name the main ones. Interactive 360s are created by capturing a number of different images, stitching them together and then using viewing software to present them in an interactive format, so the viewer can manipulate them as if they're within the space looking around them.

What is a cityscape?

The cityscape portfolio brings together the panoramic views I have captured of various cities around the world. These are sometimes known as city skylines, skyline panoramas, city landscapes or less commonly as townscapes.

What is your 'Others' porttfolio for?

Many of the panoramas I create fit into the cityscape or landscape photography categories. This comprises interior architectural photography, fashion photography, street photography and anything else which doesn't fit the landscape or cityscape mould!

What can I expect from your blog?

The photography blog is updated whenever I have a new image or new project to talk about. I blog the latest gigapixel images, advertising commissions, trips and developments. I have also started to 'Twitter' so please do sign up to twitter.com/iamwillpearson follow my twitters for more frequent updates and inconsequential stuff!