Re: wedding slides vs. prints

[P3D Alan Lewis <dlewis@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

P3D Mike Aversa wrote:

> maybe wedding photos taken in a stereograph format rather than slide format
> would be more acceptable...  unlike the slide format, a stereograph can be
> viewed with or without a viewer.  people are more accustomed to looking at
> pictures, not slides...

I agree completely with the premise.  I have been working for 5 years on perfecting 
the print stereo view package for weddings.  I have a complete, comprehensive package 
that I can offer to the professional photographer.  It is no more difficult than 
producing a conventional album.
Has it worked.  Not yet.  It's a hard sell to convince a successful prof. photog. to 
add an unknown entity to their already lucrative business.  They just don't see the 
benefit. Most just don't have the "stereo gene" that we do. 

But if stereo is to be marketed as an alternative, rather than an add on, to 
conventional photography then it must be in print form.  The customer will want a 
complete choice for enlargements and reprints, and you will want to keep the negatives 
rather than give away the originals as with slides. 
I am suprised by the number of people that will pick up one of my views from a package 
and look at it without the viewer and say "wow, this is great!".  It wasn't even 
viewed in 3-D!  They respond to the 2-D image first, the 3-D is a exciting bonus.



> I realize the sentiment on this list for Realist and ViewMaster formats, but
> there is more than REALIST in life...


Well, I break that rule with my weddings since I use the Realist format for my prints. 
;-)


>As a stereoscope and stereograph
> collector, I sometimes feel that this format is looked down upon by some on
> this list...

It seems that way sometimes, but I've been noticing a lot more questions on prints 
lately.  I feel that prints and slides can co-exist peacefully.  I shoot both, and 
will choose one over the other depending on what the end use will be.

But good prints require just as much technical knowledge to be good as slides do,  so 
I don't want anyone to think that prints are the quick and easy way to go. 

Stay tuned for my first web page extolling the virtues of stereo wedding photography. 
 I have it done, now I'm trying to figure out how to get it onto my server.

Alan Lewis
dlewis@xxxxxxxxx,net


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