My favorite use of panoramas is in documenting interesting, historic and beautiful spaces.

Whether capturing an historic hospital slated for demolition, or a favorite basement record store, panoramas preserve special locations, allowing more people to share them now and future generations to see them at all.

But a panorama tour can even augment the experience of actually being somewhere. Many museums and historic properties have areas that are not open to the public.

A panorama can help a visitor climb to the top of a rickety clock tower, or poke deep into an historic room that usually can only be seen from a doorway.

Before a visitor arrives, a panorama tour on-line can help them plan their itinerary, and after they leave, it can allow them explore more deeply.

Documenting interesting and important spaces isn't just for museums, though. I've photographed panoramic tours for many educational and journalistic uses as well:

• a guide to statuary commemorating women leaders in the Boston State House
• a tour of Holyoke's Scott Tower park for a newspaper story
• an exhibit to demonstrate a new air conditioning technology for the U.S. Department of Energy

Tours can be presented on websites, or as published pieces, as in the case of my new book...

Northampton State Hospital

Last November, Levellers Press published my book, A Panoramic Tour of the Northampton State Hospital. Over 50 panoramas around and inside this historic institution. It was ultimately demolished in 2006. You can learn more about the book here. It is also available from Amazon.

Behind the scenes during the Clearwater Sloop tour.