P3D RE: Take the "Stereo Format" quiz

[fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Dr. George A. Themelis)]

Chuck Field writes:

>I have to ask why we are trying to define formats.

Exactly for the reasons you outlined Chuck!  Your thinking is in-line with
mine.  

Here is a true story:  When I first joined SSA (Stereoscopic Society of
America) for my first entry I sent a slide taken with twin SLRs and mounted
in 7p mounts of standard dimensions 101x41.  To my surprise, the then
Secretary of SSA placed me in the 2x2 folio instead of the Realist folio! 
This experienced print photographer was obviously confused about the stereo
formats and their practical consequences.

The confusion lies in mixing what I would call "recording format" (i.e. the
camera and film used to record the image) and the "presentation format"
(i.e. the way the images are presented for viewing)

If a person is working in isolation then he/she does not need to worry
about such details (I know of people who have deviced their own formats and
lived happily in isolation working for their own enjoyment only).  But once
you try to share your work with others then this issue becomes important.  

I tend to favor a classification based on "presentation" and not
"recording".  A person can shoot slide film in a Realist camera and make
prints in over/under format from it.  Some of my best slides are in
negative film.  Nothing stops you from cropping medium format slides to VM
reels.  But try to enter the next VM International competition with your VM
Personal images mounted in 101x41 mm frames! (Yes, you can do that too - We
are only limited by our imagination!)

-- George Themelis


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