'It's really like being there': Photographer creates virtual reality tours of Newfoundland

You no longer need to be in Newfoundland to feel like you're here; virtual reality tours of the island are now available thanks to a local photographer.

Simply slide your phone into a virtual reality headset, put it over your eyes, and suddenly you're on top of Signal Hill.

Look down and you'll see the harbour. Turn around and you're in front of Cabot Tower.

Signal Hill is just one of a dozen places in Newfoundland you can experience through virtual technology.

Photographer Brian Carey has captured more than a dozen sites — from Petty Harbour to Bell Island — that you can now explore from anywhere in the world.

"It's really like being there, it's the next best thing," said Carey.

Way of preserving history

After decades as a photographer, Carey has been experimenting with virtual technology (VR) for the past year.

He sees it as a great way to transport people to places they might never otherwise see, document key moments, and preserve history.

On July 1, for example, Carey created a virtual reality tour of the Beaumont-Hamel memorial service. Looking through the headset, it really feels like you're in a crowd of thousands looking up at Princess Anne.

"We're losing so much of our history we could preserve it digitally anyway," he said.

"I'm even thinking of the historical properties that have been torn down. I wouldn't mind going in on my own cost and making a digital archive."

VR headsets come cheap

You don't need expensive gadgets to experience virtual Newfoundland. Carey himself uses a VR headset that costs $25; cardboard headsets can cost as little as $5.

Carey said VR also has potential to encourage tourism, as it allows people to get a taste of places they might not otherwise consider. After posting a tour of the suspension bridge in La Manche, he said he was inundated with emails from people asking about it.

Carey said his current plan is to document out-of-the-way places for Virtual Newfoundland

"It doesn't replace the actual experience, but it's certainly a drawing experience," he said.