P3D Detroit - February Report - Part I

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

Another great night in Detroit last night!  The meeting started with a
presentation by award-winning (PSA metal and higher) stereo photographer,
Dennis Hanser.  He focused on stereo photography beyond the Realist, i.e.
with single and twin SLR cameras for landscape and nature photography. 
Here is a brief summary of his technique:

1. For landscapes: head-to-head SLRs, separated enough to create a 
   stereo viewfinder.  
2. 28 mm lenses, portrait orientation ("portrait orientation suits my 
   compositions well")
3. Polaring filters ("for contrast control").  
4. Kodachrome and Fuji Sensia film.
5. Manual exposure and use of sunny day rule ("if it is sunny, I use the 
  sunny day rule, no matter what my cameras say - never missed a single 
  exposure that way"). 
6. Nature closeups using one SLR with 100 mm bellows macro lens and two 
   flashes.  Formula to calculate stereo base and base-bracketing.
7. Action nature close ups (butterflies) with 300 mm lenses from far away.
8. Convergence of lenses for window control (keystoning should not be a 
   problem, he said, if your main subject is not close to the edge) for 
   both single or twin SLR work.
9. Projection of full frame 35 mm slides, most in portrait format, using 
   two Kodak (regular) projectors.

Overall, an excellent presentation, covering the basics of stereo
photography (how and why we see depth, how is the stereo window set and
controlled, etc.) with many examples.  Interesting pairs of flat vs. 3d
pictures (same picture).  

I am sure many club members were inspired to try SLRs for stereo work. 
Dennis said that he also has Realist format cameras but seldom uses them
because he got spoiled by modern camera conveniences, filters, etc.

I use SLRs too and I have to say that they are great for landscape, nature
photography, architecture, etc., but nothing beats the "Realist" for family
snapshots.  Dennis said he enjoys seeing pictures from trips with his
family, now that his children are older.  We saw plenty of pictures with
his kids, 20 years ago, but they were not the main subject, but rather used
as "photographic props" to give scale, add color or add human interest.  We
did not see any closeups of family members.  I like family and people
pictures and closeups and the "Realist" is the only way to capture those
spontaneous moments, IMO.

The bottom line for me is that It is up to the individual to choose their
tools, based on what they like and enjoy.  Single or twin camera
photography has many possibilities and everyone should consider adding them
to their "toolbox" but it is not the only or even "the best" game in town.

-- George Themelis


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