Post 8: "Doctor Egas Moniz, Nobel Price for Medecine 1949, Preparing Jesus for Lobotomy by Administrating Electroshocks, Photographer Unknown""

This is a far more complex attempt at virtual composite 3D. Each part of the image is actually shot separately, and assembled in Photoshop. I started with the frame, and added stuff both inside and outside the frame, behind and in front of the frame. Click here for a full screen version, and view it full screen.

Post 7: "Saint Francis getting his Stigmatas", Final Version

I thought I could do more with the image, so I kept on working on the composition, and re photographed it with 3", 4", and 5" spacing. There is so much depth that the standard  3" spacing was enough, and more would make the image too hard to look at. I also shot telephoto close ups of all the major components in the image from the same perspective: hands, faces, dove, skull, heart, monkey, globes, key and poppy pod, and pasted them in place. I ended up enlarging the dove, and bringing it forward so it appears to hover over Saint Francis head. To get the full effect, click here for a full screen 1200 x 2500 pixels version, and make it as big as you can on your monitor.

Post 6: "Saint Francis getting his stigmatas"

My next image is a little more complex, and tries to push the 3D to the limit. The whole set up is almost 7 feet deep from the bobs up front to the dove all the way back, with the 2 plumb bobs only 24" from the camera. There is so much depth it makes it almost too hard to see. But I find the effect pretty amazing, as the single image has again on purpose not much illusion of depth. I may have to move the bobs away from the camera a little to make it easier on the eyes. I suppose the 3D purists police would give me a ticket for "window violation", but I love nothing more than breaking rules. Click here for a full screen version.

Post 6: Test 2

To see what difference the spacing of the shots makes, I tried that same image with about 5" instead of 3". The 3D effect is more intense, but in the end, it also depends on how far you stand from the monitor when you view the images. The further away, the more depth. I do like the increased depth and will shoot the next image with a 5" spacing. Click here for a full screen image.

Post 5: Depth Test 1

Just to see what kind of depth effect I can get on my shooting stage, I set up this basic image with no overlapping of the objects to get on purpose a  very flat look. Viewing the image in 3D with either the cross eyed or the parallel method with the viewer, really brings out a lot of depth. The 2 images on the left are for direct cross eyed viewing. Click here to get a bigger full screen image.

Post 4: Making a sliding rail

In order to shoot my stereo pairs, I had so far simply moved the tripod over a few inches, but the strength of the 3D effect depends on the distance between the 2 shots, and the further away the subject is, the further apart should the shots be. I want to make composite images, and will need to shoot multiple stereo pairs at different spacings to pick the ones with the proper perspective to combine in the same image. So I made a rail with a sliding plate to mount the camera on, either directly horizontally, or vertically with a 90 degrees bracket. A lever allows adjustment and locking of the parralax.

Post 3: Other Ways to see the 3D images

There is also a parallel vision way of seing the 3D images, but it only works on small images, and I can't do it. But I found that company called Berezin Stereo Photography Products that makes all kinds of 3D viewers, and I ordered from them their new 3DS Scope which allows the viewing of large pairs on a computer screen via mirrors. It works well for people unable to cross their eyes, but is not very practical if you have to wear glasses like me, as it is supposed to fit tightly against the face, and you have to hold it.
So I am going to try their 3D prism glasses, which are a little harder to use, but can be worn over prescription glasses.
I found another company called Anachrome selling all kinds of 3D equipment, and that have their own type of prism glasses.

Post 2: "The Cadaver Trial of Formosus in 3D"

I had just shot a straight (well, so to speak, meaning it is a plain shot, there is no Photoshop collage involved) composition based on the story of Pope Formosus and his infamous posthumous "Cadaver Synod" at the hand of his successor Sephen VI". So I went ahead and moved the tripod over a few inches and did a second shot. The 3D pair works fine as you can see. Click on the image for a larger version. Click here for a full screen FLASH version.

Post 1: What is Crossed Eyed 3D?

3D Hommage to Dali, Oil on Paper

Since the beginnings of photography particularly, but even before, Artists have tried to render the world in 3 dimensions. The reason why we see in 3D is that we have 2 eyes situated roughly 3 inches apart, and that each eye therefore sees a slightly different image. The brain mixes these 2 images and voila! Stereoscopic photography was invented around 1860. The standard two side by side images required a viewer, but if you reverse the images left and right, the 3D effect can be obtained simply by crossing the eyes until 2 images merge in the center and pop into 3D.

Dali experimented with 3D paintings back in the early 70's, and I painted a 3D piece in the late 80's in Homage after a visit to the Museum in Figueras.I used a system of mirrors to show it in one of my exhibitions. But you can just as well look at it cross eyed