AsiaLIFE

Photographer Paul Stewart has created a virtual tour of the temples of Angkor. He talks with Charis Shafer about this and his next project.

"I've had more questions than answers in Cambodia," Paul Stewart says with a smile. This former travel company employee and commercial photographer must have found the equivocal nature of Cambodia to his liking. He has been in Cambodia since 2003.

"Everybody does Angkor, but I've never seen it done like this," he says, referring to his most recent Cambodia-based passion of shooting 360-degree virtual tours of Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. "It is really quite easy to do," he reports modestly, if time and technology were no barrier. Images are shot in succession and then 'stitched' together using specialised software. The result is a photo-realistic 360-degree image, where the viewer controls movement.

Easy Interactive Access

The nature of the hospitality industry is constantly evolving, according to Paul. "Everyone is going online," he says. Now even grandparents are booking all their own tours through online travel sites. Tourists are making more impulse purchases. "Buying the day before or two days before," is not an uncommon practice for these Internet-savvy travellers, he explains. A virtual tour readily accessible could quickly turn a tourist towards Angkor for their next trip.

Brand from all Angles

The applications for an interactive tour like this should be clear to anyone who has tried to explain the beauty of Angkor to a friend or relative. While gesticulating wildly may have an effect, tour companies and hoteliers want something slightly classier to show off the glories of Javayarman VII's abode.

"It does actually work," Paul insists. He suggests it could be a good investment for those in the hospitality industry, either as part of tour gift packages or branded by certain hotels and sold as a souvenir. Despite his emphasis on the commercial potential of his Angkor project, a material return on his investment is not what Paul is primarily seeking through his work.

"I want it to be popular," he says of his virtual tour. "I hope the kids are selling them in the streets." The joy of creation is what really drives Paul. This can be seen both in the Angkor project and also with his more personal project to create the same virtual tour of another of the region's most majestic features.

From Mythical Mouth to Virtual Source

"I want to do the whole world!" he says ambitiously before taking a moment's though. "Well, not me." However, he does envision a future where there could be virtual online photographic access to many of the world's more remote regions. His Mekong project is one step towards this future. "To illustrate the Mekong from mouth to source," is how he describes his ambitious project. He has travelled through Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia documenting the path of the Mekong in 360 degrees.

Paul laments the recent underutilisation of natural waterways such as the Mekong. His mapping project could precede a rediscovery of the river as a source of viable income for those who live along its banks. "I think it has commercial possibility," he ventures. According to him at the moment, there is little encouragement of the local economies along the river. He envisions a time when individuals and small businesses could be listed on his virtual tour encouraging visitors to explore and stimulate local economies.

The Many-Headed Naga

"It really is an idea," he says of his plan to promote regional growth along the renowned river. "Brand the Mekong," he says almost as a mantra. Though he still has to explore farther up into China, this is a challenge he is eager to meet. "Crazy river up there," he warns, "can't really get that close to it," he says like its inaccessibility is a gauntlet someone has thrown down specifically for him.

"It is a many-headed hydra - I should say Naga," he muses. "No one is in charge." He speaks of the lack of regulation along the meandering river. This is hardly a warning for Paul, more like an invitation. The project still needs investment. "I've got another 2,000 kilometres to go!" obviously enthusiastic to continue. His ultimate goal is to "get 'em off the road and in the boat," he says of tourists exploring Southeast Asia. "And pay a fisherman for the privilege," he adds. "There's plenty of room on the river."

For more information visit Paul's website at: www.mouthtosource.net.