When the late Harold Edgerton of M.I.T. developed the strobe flash back in the 1930s, he immediately started using
his invention to make visible things that had never been seen with the naked eye. The public was amazed to see pictures
of bullets going though playing cards, balloons popping, footballs being compressed by the foot of a kicker at the
moment of impact, and milk droplets forming a crown shape upon impact with a saucer of milk. The addition of 3D adds to the
surreal effect of high-speed photography. While the pictures remain strange, it is much easier to tell exactly what you are seeing
when you can place the objects in three dimensional space.
I took each of these pictures using a sound trigger to time a strobe flash,
with the camera shutter open on Bulb. (The Milk Drop was a particular challenge,
because the splashing milk made so little sound.) I used special macro-cameras designed
by English stereo expert David Burder, which allowed me to get closer
than would be possible with a conventional stereo camera.
Photos taken at Grateful Dead Concerts
I took these photos at Grateful Dead Concerts in 1994 and 1995. I used
two Nikon 2020s on a heavy mounting bar. The shutters were synchronized
electronically. All of the images with the exception of the shot
of "The Spinners" were taken with 200mm lenses. The pictures will look
the most natural if you view them a bit farther from your monitor screen
than usual. (Two to three feet is ideal.) The reason for this is that
increasing the viewing distance compensates for the compression effect of
the telephoto lenses.
3D Picture of the Beatles
3D Picture of the Beatles - The original pictures appeared in Life Magazine.
The magazine contained a page of pictures that were apparently shot with a camera with a motor drive.
I noticed that the camera had moved slightly to the right between exposures, and created this 3d pair.
The images of John and Ringo worked the best, so I have enlarged their images, and have reproduced the complete
picture of the Beatles as an inset. These pictures are best viewed from two to three feet from your monitor.
Links to Other Stereoscopic (3D) Pages
Reel 3-D Enterprises Home Page
Red - blue glasses, plastic slide viewers and other 3D supplies are available from Reel 3-D Enterprises, P.O. Box 2368
Culver City, CA 90231.
3D from Dalia
This web site has images of many interesting and unusual stereo products available for purchase, including projectors and cameras made in the 1950s. Dalia also has duplicates of some of my Hi-Speed 3D slides for sale, in standard 2X2 - inch mounts.
Mars Pathfinder Panorama
Dan Shelly put together this excellent compilation of NASA stereoscopic photos shot by the Pathfinder lander. He connected approximately 20 individual pictures together and compressed the result into a sharp 275K JPG. Dan Shelley also has what may be the most complete list of 3D links on earth. (Links to over 350 3D sites). Also check out Stereoscopy.com
which has a wealth of information on stereoscopic imaging.
