THE IMMERSION PROJECT - COLORFUL LAGUNAS IN BOLIVIA
by Michelle Bienias
Aurélien Buathier and Nicolas Salin, two college friends living in France, wanted to see the world. A couple months before leaving on their 15-month trip to South America, Oceania and Asia, they discovered QTVR technology on the Internet and knew that they somehow had to incorporate it into their plans. “We fell in love with it. It became naturally the guideline of our trip: To make people share our trip through this new media,” they say. However they only had enough money to travel for a year, and couldn’t afford the necessary equipment. What to do? That’s when they got the idea to set up a non-profit organization and find sponsors to finance it. And it worked! “Just two weeks before leaving,” they remember, “we got called to compete in a regional challenge and we won a reward [from ‘Le Conseil Général des Yvelines’, a French state organisation], nearly enough to buy all the stuff. Actually, it was a bit short in time because we received the equipment one day before leaving! That's the real truth!” 
click here to view fullscreenThey received their equipment, a Nikon Coolpix 5400 with a wide-angle lens and a Kaidan Quickpan, one day before departure. While traveling they applied the theory they had learned (“like the fucking famous nodal point”) by shooting lots of pictures (12,000 pics and 50 panoramas in total), but it wasn’t until they returned to France that they saw them stitched. “Panos from Bolivia were the first released on our website because we found it the most beautiful place in the world. It was obvious to start with the best ... what made our hearts beat more than any place in the world.” And the panos from Bolivia are stunning, particularly the ones taken in South Lipez province, near the southern border of Bolivia. Called the ‘Tibet of the Andes’ and looking like the end of the earth, the landscape is devoid of civilization but boasts colored lagoons, salt pans, volcanoes, geysers and the odd flock of flamingos. It’s a huge desert hundreds of kilometers long with some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth, accessible only by four-wheel drive. The accompanying panorama shows Laguna Celeste (sky blue), one of the salt lakes located at the foot of the Uturunco volcano (6040m). Laguna Celeste, along with Laguna Verde, Laguna Amarilla and Laguna Colorada, get their names from the different shades of color that form from the algae. 
click here to view site
All the photos and panoramas are available on their website, the Immersion Project, which also includes fullscreen panos from Maccu Piccu, Angkor Wat, Uluru, Australia and Nepal. Six months later the pair are shooting panos around France and Europe, and, since they love panorama photography so much, they’ve set up a business in virtual tours.
Email: Immersion360[at]hotmail[dot]fr
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