Submission declined on 7 December 2025 by MCE89 (talk). This draft's references do not show that the person meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for people. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that: provide significant coverage: discuss the person in detail, not brief mentions or interviews lacking independent analysis; are reliable: from reputable outlets with editorial oversight; are independent: not connected to the person, such as interviews, press releases, the subject's own website, or sponsored content. Please add references that meet all three of these criteria. If none exist, the subject is not yet suitable for Wikipedia. This draft is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Wikipedia's verifiability policy requires that all content be supported by reliable sources. Reliable sources include: reputable newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and books from respected publishers. Unacceptable sources include: personal blogs, social media, predatory publishers, most tabloids, and websites where anyone can contribute. Replace any unreliable sources with high-quality sources. If you cannot find a reliable source for the material, it should be removed. If you would like to continue working on the submission, click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window. If you have not resolved the issues listed above, your draft will be declined again and potentially deleted. If you need extra help, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. Please do not remove reviewer comments or this notice until the submission is accepted. Where to get help If you need help editing or submitting your draft, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. These venues are only for help with editing and the submission process, not to get reviews. If you need feedback on your draft, or if the review is taking a lot of time, you can try asking for help on the talk page of a relevant WikiProject. Some WikiProjects are more active than others so a speedy reply is not guaranteed. How to improve a draft Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia – a basic overview on how to edit Wikipedia. Help:Wikitext – how to use the markup Help:Referencing for beginners – how to include references Wikipedia:Article development – how to develop your article Wikipedia:Writing better articles – how to improve your article Wikipedia:Verifiability – make sure your article includes reliable third-party sources You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Add tags to your draft Editor resources Easy tools: Citation bot (help) | Advanced: Fix bare URLs Declined by MCE89 5 months ago. Last edited by MCE89 5 months ago. Reviewer: Inform author. Resubmit Please note that if the issues are not fixed, the draft will be declined again.

• Comment: Hello? How about this? (If there's something you don't understand, feel free to ask at the "teahouse".) Hoary (talk) 01:45, 16 November 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: Does any source that appears to be careful really refer to a "Circuit" camera (and not a Cirkut camera)? -- Hoary (talk) 01:17, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: There are three reference indices -- superscripted numbers, like ^[7] -- in the text of the article. As expected, each points (under "References") to a source. (I'll call these sources A1, A2, and A3.) Immediately under the three listed sources come three more reference indices, each of which points to a source. (I'll call these sources B1, B2, and B3.) A3 and B3 are the same. Was the idea that the web page "A brief history of Cabbagetown, Atlanta" would be cited at two or more places? If so, use .<ref name="Cabbagetown">{{Cite web |title=A brief history of Cabbagetown, Atlanta |url=https://cabbagetown.com/history |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=Cabbagetown | publisher=Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association | language=en-US}}</ref> for any one use, and <ref name="Cabbagetown" /> for any other use(s). Anyway, reference indices don't belong under the heading "References". -- Hoary (talk) 01:06, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

This is a draft article. It is a work in progress open to editing by anyone. Please ensure core content policies are met before publishing it as a live Wikipedia article. Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL Easy tools: Citation bot (help) | Advanced: Fix bare URLs · Article logs · Draft logs. Last edited by MCE89 (talk | contribs) 5 months ago. (Update) Finished drafting? Submit for review

A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. See our advice if the article is about you and read our scam warning in case someone asks for money to edit this article. (October 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Ray Herbert II (April 19, 1945 – January 7, 1997), better known by his professional name Panorama Ray, was an American panoramic photographer and folk-art painter based in Atlanta, Georgia. Recognized for his distinctive use of a 1908 Eastman Kodak #10 Circut camera, Herbert's work became popular in Atlanta’s art scene during the late 20th century. His large-scale panoramic images and vivid folk-art paintings contributed significantly to the city’s cultural landscape.

Ray Herbert II was born in Atlantic City^[1], New Jersey, to Raymond Frances Herbert and Alice Ruth Herbert. The eldest of five children, Herbert left high school early and went on to build a series of independent careers, achieving and losing financial success on more than one occasion.

His first job involved photographing cruise ships, after which he developed and printed the images in a small beachside shack. He later sold the photographs to tourists upon their return^[1].

At nineteen, Herbert began working for panoramic convention photographer Fred Hess. His background as a press photographer secured him the position, and he initially assisted Hess with transporting and operating the large, heavy panoramic camera. Hess had previously used the same model camera to photograph Miss America pageants and Atlantic City events in the 1920s and 1930s^[2].

In 1967, Herbert opened his first printing studio in Chelfonte Alley, Atlantic City. He continued to work as a convention photographer in Atlantic City and Atlanta, documenting major political gatherings, including Democratic and Republican conventions^[3].

In the late 1970s, Herbert purchased two Eastman Kodak #10 Cirkut cameras and the original negatives from Hess’s sons, who were preparing to melt the negatives for silver^[4]. He commissioned a complete restoration of one camera, which was polished, gold-plated, and fitted with new red bellows. Herbert later motorized the device to rotate a full 360 degrees, creating the foundation for his signature panoramic work.

Herbert relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, on January 25, 1974. He invested in property near the future site of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center, a venture that eventually proved profitable. He developed a friendship with President Carter, who praised one of Herbert’s panoramic photographs of the Oval Office, joking that Herbert was “the only one who could straighten out the Oval Office.”

In Atlanta, Herbert purchased one of Kodak’s first color processors for 8×10-inch images, though he frequently processed his oversized panoramic prints by hand, often using his bathtub. Many of his black-and-white images were later hand-colored.

Herbert developed an experimental panoramic technique he called “Movin’ Stills,” ^[1]directing subjects to move during exposure to create multiple ghost-like impressions within a single frame. Settling in Atlanta’s Cabbagetown neighborhood^[5], he became a well-known local figure^[6] and informal community leader loving called the "Mayor of Cabbagetown"^[7]. Many of his subjects were residents of Cabbagetown, whom he affectionately referred to as “the Cabbage Heads.”^[8] His works frequently depicted these characters, both in his photography and in his folk-art paintings^[9].

Herbert was known for his generosity within the community^[9], often feeding neighborhood children and paying them small sums for odd jobs. His Cabbagetown photographs captured the lives of working-class and Appalachian-descendant families connected to the area’s historic textile mill^[1].

During the late 20th century, Herbert became a prominent chronicler of Atlanta’s underground art scene. His “Whispering Garden” studio on Carroll Street served as a gathering place for artists, musicians, and performers. Among his subjects were the vocalist Benjamin Smoke and his band Smoke, actor Mick O’Dowd, performance artist Mitch Cherry (as “So Fly”)^[10], the Natabari dance troupe, "Holly Holllywood" ^[11]and numerous costumed figures such as “the Snow Queen,” “the Devil,” and “the Fairies.” Herbert also documented major Atlanta landmarks and events, including the 1996 Olympic Games, the Clermont Lounge, and the Atlanta Braves Stadium.

His photographic archive includes panoramic images of major U.S. and international cities, natural landmarks such as the pyramids of Giza^[1]. His collection is estimated to contain approximately 5,000 negatives, including the Fred Hess originals.

Beyond photography, Herbert produced hundreds of folk-art paintings, often featuring narratives about the “Cabbage Heads” and imaginative stories involving aliens and Atlanta landmarks^[12]. During the 1996 Olympics, Panorama showcased his creative flair as a folk artist, producing numerous paintings inspired by the event^[12]. He contributed articles and artwork to the local art magazine Highpoint, where he combined storytelling with photography and painting^[13]