Have you ever wanted to defend your spaceship from attacking drones and robots, find a treasure in a lost temple, figure out an escape room, or fight your way through a zombie apocalypse; in the safety of a virtual reality experience?
How about driving an expensive virtual sports car around a racetrack and experiencing all the bumps and turns that a professional driver feels, while your friends relax with snacks and beverages and watch what you are seeing on a big screen? This is your opportunity to drive a $675,000 Lamborghini at high speeds.
Photo courtesy of Spark VR
It sounds like the entertainment of the future, but it is here now at Spark VR in Vernon, Connecticut https://www.sparkvirtualreality.com/.
I had the privilege of producing a Google virtual tour of the facility, which has made virtual reality a spectator sport. You can view the 360 degree images I took, here: https://goo.gl/maps/QErgGghbyzM2 The Spark VR staff will assist you to get started, since about half their customers have never done virtual reality before. You can reserve a virtual reality gaming bay for 55-minute intervals and choose your adventure. Race cars are walk-in only and run at 20-minute intervals. Choose your race car and your race track. You better buckle up.
One more thing about this futuristic business: it’s cashless!
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
tim@cimages.com
During my years as a commercial photographer, I have photographed some very interesting and unusual places.
I documented the progress of the "mole machine" that bored a massive tunnel under the City of Hartford, CT, burying the Park River. At the start of the project, when I reported to the work site, I was told to "go get in the bucket". The bucket was attached to a crane cable that lifted me and then slowly lowered me down a long shaft to the tunnel floor. Eventually an elevator was installed. My walk through the tunnel became longer and longer each month, as I documented the progress. The tunnel started along the Connecticut River near the Charter Oak Bridge and ended off of Park St. near Sigourney St. The Army Corps of Engineers managed the project that provided flood protection for the city.
Then there was the contract to photograph the construction of the super-max prison; called the Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, CT. I started by photographing an empty lot and each month I documented the progress. As I saw the "pods" taking shape, where prisoners spend 23 hours each day, the job began to make me feel uncomfortable, and I was glad when the project was completed.
On another assignment, I was asked to photograph in a drainage tunnel under the city of Hartford, CT for the Metropolitan District Commission, which is the local water and sewage authority. They were planning an information campaign, explaining a major upgrade project, to their customers. The photos from the first tunnel (above) that I photographed were rejected because the tunnel didn't look old enough. The next tunnel I photographed was under Franklin Avenue, over a hundred years old, and made of brick. The iron ladder rungs in the man hole had rotted off, so I had to wear a harness and be lowered down on a cable by a winch. I held a flash in my left hand as I photographed an inspector a few feet away. This shot was used as the cover of a brochure.
I could go on about the times I had to photograph from the roofs of skyscrapers, despite my fear of heights, but I'll save that for another post. Meanwhile, I welcome unusual assignments. I am ready to go; with my own hard hat, steel toed boots, and dayglo safety vest !
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main Street
Manchester, CT 06040
tim@2cimages.com
I had the privilege last month to photograph the most amazing antique store I have ever seen; Greenwich Living Antiques and Design Centre http://greenwichlivingantique.com. In addition to still photographs, I took 63 panoramas to form a 360 degree, Google virtual tour, that enables potential customers the ability to "walk through" the store from their smartphone from anywhere in the world. Thanks to my Google digital marketing agency Instant360.com, I was assigned to this project, which kept me busy photographing for an entire day.
According to their website, Greenwich Living Antiques and Design Centre has provided furnishings to Tommy Hilfiger, Regis Philbin, Judge Judy, Katherine Zeta Jones, Anne Hathaway, and Beyoncé, and their furniture offerings include extensive pieces of Maison Jansen, Ralph Lauren, and other high-end decor, as well as Hollywood Regency, Louis XV and XVI, Russian Neoclassical and Formal French, English and Continental merchandise.
You can take the virtual tour starting here https://goo.gl/maps/5b9BXpW9xGF2 or visit in person at 481 Canal St., Stamford, CT. I suggest you allow an hour or two to see it all.
Tim Becker - Google Trusted Photographer
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
www.2cimages.com
One of my favorite days of the year, is the day when Major League pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
Today is that day, for my favorite team, the Boston Red Sox https://www.mlb.com/redsox.
My favorite local team is the Hartford Yard Goats https://www.milb.com/hartford , which plays in the Eastern League. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
In 2017, I was asked to create 360 degree panorama photos of the the brand new Dunkin' Donuts Park. A view that I took behind home plate and from the third base line are below. Dunkin' Donuts Park is one of the most beautiful minor league parks, and has one of the highest attendance. The Goats drew 405,403 fans in their 2018 season, making them the first minor league team in Connecticut to draw more than 400,000 in a season.
I am looking forward to opening day, when all 30 Major league baseball teams will play on March 28, the earliest opening day in history, excluding international openers. The Red Sox home opener is April 9th. The Yard Goats home opener is April 11th.
Life is pretty dull in February without football or baseball. I'm ready for spring. Play ball!
Now that January is here and snow is in the forecast; I would like to brighten your day by sharing a few photos from my favorite season...summer.
Over the years I have had the privilege of photographing many custom designed swimming pools.
Here are a few outdoor designs:
and indoor designs:
These photo assignments remind me why I love this job. Stay warm, summer is just around the corner!
