[MF3D.FORUM:885] Re: Mount Colors

[Richard Rylander <rlrylander@xxxxxxx>]

Sam wrote:

> I'm sure I've asked this before, but I may as well try again. Is there an
> interest and source for mounts on black stock instead of white? I have
> preferred black mounts for 7P stereo, but there hasn't been any produced
> yet for MF. The reason I like then is it stops the mount from standing out
> from the image, especially if any stay light comes in from the top of the
> viewer.
>

I would be VERY interested in black mounts.  Minimizing the visibility of the
slide mount itself should greatly enhance the sense of immersion in the
scene.  The effect will be best if the card stock is solid black rather than
just a surface color to eliminate any white line that would appear along the
edge of the die cut slide apertures.

A book with very interesting comments about "image as object" and other topics
is "Eye, Film, and Camera in Color Photography" by Ralph M. Evans (at the time
of publication [1959], Director of the Color Technology Division at Eastman
Kodak).  The chapter 'Photographs as localized in space' talks about several
properties of photographs that have significant influence in perceiving the
photo as an objet itself, or as a window you look at other objects through.
Particularly intriguing was the description of a doubly curved projection
screen that causes the eyes of a suitably located observer to change their
relative positions while scanning the image, as though the screen surface were
at infinity (a predecessor of "Imax"?).  It was claimed that even "2D"
pictures take on a "startlingly three dimensional appearance" under these
conditions.  Even without this special screen, transparencies projected in a
completely darkened room provide the best sense of realism - and for hand held
slide viewers, the same effect would require black slide mounts.

I thought it would be an interesting experiment to modify the light
source/diffuser in a stereo slide viewer with appropriate masks to
intentionally vignette at the edges of the image, further minimizing the
visibility of the slide mount itself (again, requiring black slide mounts).
This might also make some slides with near objects that appear in one window
and not the other more viewable since the visual system fills in missing gaps
unless other cues (an obscuring slide mount) are present.

The book cited above is unfortunately long out of print, but well worth the
effort to track down a copy in a library or used book dealer.  Many aspects of
photographic geometry, brightness distortions, and perception are covered.
Given the vintage of the book, there is also a lot of information dealing with
stereo photography (much more popular in 1959 than now).

Richard Rylander