On Assignment

One of my goals while exploring Patagonia was to bring the immersive experience of Patagonia back to my students and community. I was very aware of the fact that even though I was physically there I wanted my students, colleagues, and the larger community to get a chance to "be there" too. If you missed the previous post about this, check it out here: 🎥Immersive Experience 

From left to right 1: Practing with my Insta360 x3 camera 2. Immersive technology gear on loan from National Geographic 3. Exploring the VR headset

With all my tech gear packed, I was ready to be "on assignment" and capture all the 360 views of Patagonia. I very quickly learned that being "on assignment" is much harder than it looks. The wind in Patagonia was so intense that there were many times I thought I was going to fall over or my phone was literally going to fly out of my hand. That is NO hyperbole. The wind was really that strong. Sadly my Insta360 camera and invisible selfie stick never stood a chance. I would say about 9 out of 10 times my Insta360 camera ended up on the ground blown over by the wind. 

Left 📸: Getting 360 views of Ushuaia Middle 📸: Getting 360 views of the Aguila Glacier  Right 📸: Impact of the wind on the 360 camera at the Aguila Glacier

Despite the elements, I was able to capture some truly beautiful 360 views of this magical land. Much like the fauna, flora, and fungi of this region, I had to quickly adapt to survive the harsh elements. I become masterful at anchoring down my tripod with rocks (sometimes even boulders) and even digging small holes to keep my camera upright. 

Insta360 camera anchored down with rocks at our landing location before we hiked to the Aguila Glacier

Ultimately I am working to create a 360 immersive experience of Patagonia to be viewed through a VR headset with accompanying learning materials. Until that editing is done here are a few 360 views of magical Patagonia.