If you can’t make it to Brazil this summer for the 2016 Rio Olympics, then you might want to do yourself a favor and see how Getty Images can resolve this issue for you.
As part of Getty Images newest virtual reality initiative, the Getty Images Virtual Reality Group, the company plans to use 360-degree cameras to turn the games into a virtual reality image experience. Getty will be sending all of its photographers heading down to Rio with state-of-the-art cameras in order to make it happen. This initiative will allow Getty’s users to fully immerse themselves in all aspects of the Rio Olympics from remote places. Similar to the way Google Maps allows you to see a 360-degree street view of anywhere in the world, users will be able to see the entirety of the varying environments of the games, whether it’s in the stadiums or on the streets as events are taking place. This venture will also allow Getty to add to their already massively established library of over 12,000 high-res 360-degree premium images taken since this initiative first took off four years ago with the 2012 London Olympics. In addition, Getty also said that it’s providing users with virtual reality videos through a service called Getty Images Assignments.
According to a statement made by Getty CEO, Dawn Airey, the company is confident in virtual reality’s future role in creating visual narratives for all kinds of events: “The technology is still in its infancy, as are the business models addressing how to use it, but we can expect to see VR become a leading tool for visual storytelling.”
We’re excited to see what comes of this new initiative for Getty, and how it will enhance our experience and interaction with this summer’s 2016 Rio Olympics.