ABOUT US
From the Wild to the Lens
Our story begins not in a studio, but deep in the heart of RDC Congo, where our founder Gerald, who was born in Morocco, spent his days living in a tent, surrounded by stunning, untamed landscapes. Armed with a newly purchased Minolta digital camera (a brand that no longer exists). He spent hours reading, practicing photography, and contemplating the nature of a good photograph. The breathtaking views inspired him to shift toward panoramic photography, as single shots couldn’t capture the full beauty of the scenery.
If You Can’t Find It, Build It
Realizing he needed a panoramic head to stitch high-quality images together, and dissatisfied with what was on the market - which he found bulky and unappealing - Gerald decided to build his own.
Back in the Czech Republic, after spending 13 years in Africa and traveling around the world, the real journey began. What started as a personal project quickly became a mission. Developing panoramic heads was far more challenging than expected, but through trial and error, Gerald created the first Bushman-Panoramic heads: Kalahari, Gobi, Sandbug and later Sahara (though that model never went to market).
First Big Break: Hello, Kolor
The turning point came around 2013, when Bushman-Panoramic worked with a French company called Kolor, known for their panoramic stitching software. Kolor became our first real distributor and began selling our panoramic heads through their e-shop. This marked the beginning of Bushman-Panoramic as a business, with real orders and the realization that we were no longer just crafting gear - we were building a company.
Years of Learning and Building
For the next five to seven years, the company remained in survival mode - constantly developing, learning production processes, and dealing with the steep learning curve of manufacturing. It wasn’t until we started working with Ricoh, a major manufacturer of 360° cameras, that things shifted. We developed a custom monopod for them, sparking our entry into the monopod market.
Our early carbon fiber monopod wasn’t a commercial success, but working with Ricoh taught us a lot. The experience pushed us to design the Monopod V2, this time on our own terms.
The YouTube Moment That Changed It All
Then came the moment that changed everything: Ben Claremont, a YouTuber and expert in 360 photography, reviewed our monopod. When his video launched, orders flooded in - one every 7 to 10 minutes during the first week. This was our breakthrough.
Entering the World of Electronics
We continued innovating with FinWe/FinCloud Juha Kela and Joergen Geers and eventually launched our first electronic product - the Halo 360 light. It began as a sketch and a scrap prototype, but thanks to collaboration with Juha Kela who saw a need for such a product, pushed us to bring it to life. The journey into electronics was intimidating: producing in China, navigating certifications, and budgeting with no prior experience. But after nearly two years, the Halo 360 Light was born.
Where We are Now
Today, Bushman-Panoramic is a team of passionate creators who continue to innovate for the panoramic, VR, 360° photography community and industries worldwide. We design and test all our gear ourselves - and we stand by our promise: Compact. Durable. Reliable. Beautiful.
Simply Sexy
