Photographer Nils Duval's step-by-step guide to taking panoramic and 360-degree shots:

Early morning is the best time for high quality shots. Pick a location where you are free to move around without being disturbed and your field is clear of obstructions.

Always use a tripod. However, pivot the lens rather than the tripod for better mathematical shots.

When taking shots for a 360 project, the more images you take, the better. Simply turning in the four primary directions is not enough.

If the sun is not in an optimal position, use the flash, but only if your subject matter is in the foreground.

Once you have the shots you need, stitch them together with Hugin, an open-source program, or Adobe Photoshop, which has a "photo merge" tool.

Most importantly, have fun and always keep trying new things.

Lauren Johnson

(China Daily 04/19/2011 page36)