Google is taking its cutting-edge technology to new heights.
The search engine is teaming up with a Tulsa photographer to help businesses show off their companies in a whole different way.

Many of us have used Google’s Street View technology on Google Maps.

Now, we’re able to take that one step further, by going inside businesses for a 360-degree virtual walk through.

Google is one of the most popular search engines.

It has all types of features from Web searches, to images and even virtual tours.

Daniel Rosenstein was the first Google Trusted Photographer in Tulsa.

He uses a top of the line camera to create a high-quality, interactive tour for local businesses, then he posts it to Google.

“This is a real good way for customers to be able to visit your store online without having to come to it physically,” Rosenstein said.

Here’s how you can access one of these tours.

Go to google.com and type in the name of a business.

We’re going to check out The Little Gym in Tulsa.

If there’s a tour available, you’ll have the option to click “see inside” here on the right.

Now you can navigate through the business and even walk through doors to get a broader look at everything this place has to offer.

“It’s not just a stand and spin around,” Rosenstein said. “This actually allows the customers to walk through the place, zoom in on different parts of the business and actually feel like their walking through that particular business.”

Rosenstein has shot about a dozen area businesses – from restaurants to gyms.

He’s currently in the process of photographing the Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown.

Jeff Keeley, Hyatt Regency Tulsa General Manager: “Words only go so far,” Hyatt Regency Tulsa General Manager Jeff Keeley said. “Pictures go a lot further and this is even better than pictures because it’s actually like walking through the hotel and seeing everything we have to offer.”

Keeley says this adds a whole new dimension to showcasing the features of his hotel.

“It helps put us head and shoulders above some of our competition because they don’t have it and we do,” he said. “It’s a nice perk to have for our sales people.”

The Hyatt’s Google 360 Tour will be up and running on Google by Friday.

If you’re interested in showcasing the inside of your business on Google, you can contact Tulsa Imagery.

Click here to book your Google Business Tour

TULSA – Jody Weise owner of The Uniform Shoppe in south Tulsa is adapting to the changing times in order to keep her store of 50 years open.

“The phonebook might still work,” she said. “But I think people are getting on their phones or computers and looking it up.”

She’s taking advertising to a new level. She’s hired photographer Daniel Rosenstein with Tulsa Imagery to compose a 360-virtual tour of her store.

“We walk through, shoot the images and then we upload them to Google,” said Rosenstein. “Google then stitches them together and creates a virtual walking tour, and that appears on Google searches, maps and Google pages.”

The work by Rosenstein costs anywhere from $300 to $1,000 but once it’s uploaded to Google there is no cost and Weise can use the images and link them to her website.

“It puts a small business like ours in a different league and it will help us compete with the big guys or help us compete with internet sale,” she said.

Rosenstein was the first in Green Country to receive the certification of Google Trusted Photographer, but there are now others. This service has been offered in other major cities but was just recently introduced in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

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Click here to book your Google Business Tour

The search engine giant has begun infiltrating local restaurants, offices and schools with Google Business Photos, a Street View expansion that not only shows how a shop looks on the outside, but on the inside as well.

What the photos do is step inside, giving searchers a view of what they could walk into later.

These high definition pictures, taken by a Google trusted photographer, show panoramic views of the establishment. And Daniel Rosenstein of Tulsa is one of Oklahoma’s two trusted photographers. Rosenstein, 32, is the owner of Tulsa Imagery. The other photographer is in Oklahoma City.

“It enhances your Google listing when somebody Googles you,” said Rosenstein of business photos. “And now underneath the map they can see an image that invites your customer in. It’s a unique opportunity to let somebody come in and view the inside of your business and show off what you’ve got right from the comfort of the computer in their own home.”

Rosenstein, who founded Tulsa Imagery eight years ago, was certified by Google in July to take interior business photos after three months of interviews and training.

How it works is business owners make an appointment with Rosensteini to come and take the interior pictures. He then comes equipped with a top-quality tripod, HD digital camera and ultra wide-angle fisheye lens and gets to work.

Rosenstein takes nearly 400 images during a photoshoot, which takes anywhere from about 45 minutes to two hours.

“Now you can show off that little dining area that you’ve got for a birthday party or you can show off that little cozy corner,” said Rosenstein, who said he also takes 10 to 15 separate shots to illustrate specifics like dishes and hours. “A good way to show off your ambiance and atmosphere that you couldn’t do before.”

After completion, Rosenstein then uploads and arranges the pictures in his computer, adds the Street View-like arrows to the images, blurs the faces of any patrons who might have been present and sends the product to Google moderators for final approval.

The pictures then go to the business’ Google plus page — which is free and similar to Facebook “Like” pages — and connects the business tour photos to the plus account. The tour can then be viewed on both mobile devices and computers.

Owners can then upload their own photos for free in addition to the business photos to illustrate other features.

The process takes about five hours, Rosenstein said.

All of Google’s business photographers are independent contractors. The cost for the photoshoot starts at $300 with Rosenstein, but he said prices vary based on the size of the location.

Owners who might be concerned about giving up photos of its company to Google or a photographer need not worry.

“Unlike a lot of photo arrangements, where the photographer retains copyright, but gives you the rights to use it, this is the opposite way around.” Rosenstein said. “You have full ownership. They’re not just limited to being on Google or anything — you can use it in a brochure, a newspaper ad or whatever regard you choose it.”

All Google trusted photographers use the same settings, the same lens and have the same training. This is to ensure consistency in picture quality among the hundreds of photographers nationwide, said Deanna Yick, a Google spokesperson.

Speaking from Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., Yick said the business photos began with a pilot program in 2010 and has quickly gained interest from business owners and photographers. At first the photographers were official Google employees, but the company soon moved to independent contractors because of availability.

“It’s definitely an ecosystem that works well,” Yick said. “There’s definitely demand. We’re continuing to train more photographers and to see where there’s interest from business owners.”

The advent of business photos is an extension of Google’s goal of creating a complete view of the world through Google Maps, she added.

And Tulsa business owners seem satisfied with the product thus far.

At The Uniform Shoppe, 6221 E. 61st St., Owner Jody Weise said she is sure the interior pictures were drawing attention to her business.

“I believe people are Googling us online,” Weise said. “I don’t know if they’re looking for the photos, but they’re finding us there.”

She said the visuals help legitimize the business by actually showing people what her shop has.

“A small business has to weigh every dollar they spend,” she said. “If I’m going to pay for advertising, is it going to have a return for me.”

For Weise, radio advertising was some of her most profitable advertising, in her 32 years at her shop, she’s seeing a shift in advertising.

“We still advertise on the radio, and I truly believe in the radio,” she said. “But Googling it, it’s like a new word in the dictionary. But it’s where it’s at right now.”

One of Rosenstein’s first photoshoots was a Fast Eddie’s Hamburgers, 10032 S. Sheridan Road. Owner Mazen Khaskyeh said it’s helped his customers in connection with other advertising ventures, like Groupon coupons.

“If they come to visit before they buy their Groupon, they pretty much look inside before they purchase their groupon,” he said. “They have an idea what to expect when they come in.”

For Sandi Tilkin, director of the Mizel Jewish Day School, 2021 E. 71st St., the virtual tour became an enhancement when they were embedded on the school’s website.

“It gives parents a good view of what they expect for their child’s education as far as curriculum and what takes place,” Tilkin said. “They can see the school at a glance without even coming and hopefully it’ll peak their curiosity.”

Rosenstein said he’s done six photoshoots so far, but has more coming up in the future.
More information on Google Maps Business Photos can be found at

www.maps.google.com/businessphotos. Rosenstein can be contacted for a business photoshoot online at google.tulsaimagery.com or by calling (918) 895-1436.

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Click Here to Book Your Google Business Tour