Re: DrT quotes

[P3D Gregory J. Wageman <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Dr. T. expounded:

>While searching some computer files I found the following DrT photo-3d
>quotes.  Thought I'd share them with you on a slow Friday afternoon:

I find much truth in most of your aphorisms.  However, there are a couple
that I would quibble with:

>* The equivalent of not bracketing shots in photography is not backing up
>  files in the computer.  Unfortunately, I practice both...

This isn't exactly an apt analogy.  Even if you don't back up your files,
you only lack a safety copy in case of some potential disaster; you
still have the original files until then.  If you don't bracket in
photography, you *might not* even get that.  Duping slides is more like
backing up your files, except of course for the generational loss which
doesn't exist in the digital realm (your digital backup copy is to all
intents and purposes indistinguishable from the "original").

On the other hand, if you are using familiar equipment whose behaviour
you know very well, bracketing is not necessary under ordinary
circumstances.  If it was, those supermarket single-use cameras with
fixed aperture and shutter speed would never work; the greater latitude
of negative film vs. reversal film notwithstanding.

Long time exposures, multiple exposures, "difficult" lighting situations
and other creative photography justify bracketing, but you still must
have some concept as to how much to bracket by (if you're taking a
30-second exposure using a remote release, "bracketing" by plus-or-minus
one second is insignificant; instead you would more likely halve and
double the exposure for a full-stop bracket).  This is a bit more
complicated than typing "copy filea fileb". :-)

>* Introducing people to 3-d is the first step for making 3-d more popular. 
>  Improving our own work and presenting it to the public is the second step. 

I'd reverse this.  That is, don't attempt to promote stereography by showing
your work in public until you know how to photograph and mount properly,
especially for projection.  Showing badly photographed and/or mounted
stereographs to an uninformed public will just give all stereo a bad name.
("3D?  Yeah, I remember that.  It's boring and it hurts!")

Your local 3D club, your regional and national NSA activities and the
various stereoscopic society folios are an excellent way to see what
other people are doing, and to see how your own work measures up against
others'.

Conversely, nothing can do more to promote stereography than excellent
stereophotography well presented.  If you DO know what you're doing,
by all means got out there and show people!

It's kind of like the difference between a high-school band where most
everybody is just learning their instrument, vs. the local professional
symphony orchestra.  Listening only to the former, you might just swear
off of orchestral music, if you never get a chance to hear the latter.

	-Greg W.


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