P3D Masks from Harry Richards

[Bill Davis <bd3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all.

Among the slides that has been stashed in my "save it for later when I've
figured out to do with it" box is one I took of my daughter about four
summers ago.  

She's about six feet from the camera, peeking at me through a hole in the
slice of watermelon she is holding.  It's a very natural-looking snapshot,
with colors, lighting, focus, etc. just right.  What has kept it in that
box all these years is the presence of not one but three prominently-placed
adults in various spots beyond my daughter, each looking in a different
direction.  Very distracting elements.  Ruins the slide.  But what to do?  

April 4, Harry Richards posted the following to Sell-3D:

>
>FS Stereo Masks for cropping
>Set #1 Circle Masks- 1/2 &3/4" circles Set of 25-$6.00 PP-US
>Set #2 Ellipse & Trapezoid  masks  Set of 25--$6.00 PP-US
>

Then in response to a request by private e-mail:
>Hi Bill
>Nice to hear from you
>A set consists of 25 of each mask-total of 50 cropped slides
>The masks are the same size as a Realist mount
>If interested,send $6.00 per set to::
>Harry Richards
>11506 N Laguna Dr
>Mequon,WI 53092
>

I sent my money...a few days later I had a set of each in hand.  

Each mask consists of two apertures cut in a single mask with a bit wider
than standard separation.  (Sorry, I didn't measure.  Looks like a mm or
two wider than Reel-3D heatseals or RBT)  Cutting each mask into two
separate right and left might be a good idea, allowing freedom in window
placement. 

These are made of a cardboard material much like standard foldover mounts.
The holes are reasonably clean and accurate for my purposes, but a bit of
trimming may be necessary to clean up an edge or corner here and there for
more critical work (or workers). 

The circles are self-descriptive, but the trapezoid and ellipse merit some
clarification.

The trapezoid mask is essentially a standard Realist aperture that narrows
to roughly 4 perfs at the top.  Full Realist height and full width along
the bottom edge.  These give an interesting effect to some "tall
building"-type shots I have, somewhat mimicking the converging
architectural lines of the image. Have not done much with these yet, but I
see some possible subjects. (Come to think of it, these masks could be
inverted so the narrow side is at the bottom.)  

I had hoped the ellipse masks would be something resembling an oval
portrait frame, but the reality is that they are more like an edge-on view
of a double convex lens.  The long orientation is horizontal.  Again,
cutting the masks apart and trimming would allow a vertical orientation but
the apexes are still more cusp (pointy)than curve.  

Upon receipt of the masks, I immediatly dug out my watermelon slide. By
trying the various masks above the slide on a light table, I settled on the
1/2 " circle and came up with a very favorable composition, eliminating two
of three distracting humans and concentrating focus on the subject, with
the added benefit of a more aesthetically pleasing mask shape. 

I'm not sure yet what the best method of mounting should be.  For the
watermelon slide, I taped the chips to the mask, sandwiched them with
another mask (they are a bit translucent for hand viewers; doubling up
eliminates any bleed-through), added a cover glass to one side then slipped
all into an EMDE binder. With another one, I sandwiched a single mask
between glass and shoved it into a binder.  The thickness of the mask made
this a tight fit, though. The mask needs a mm or so trimmed from one end to
fit in the binder.

What I found particularly enlightening was going through my latest roll of
slides with masks at hand.  About a half-dozen "so-so" slides were
*substantially* improved just by slipping one of the circular masks in
place in the hand viewer.  Where certain peripheral elements of an image
might not have been distracting per se, they were adding nothing *to* the
image so masking them out raised the overall impact of the slide muchly.
Also, with the circular masks one's eyes don't have any corners to wander
off into, so are kept centered on the main image.

Overall, I am very pleased with the masks, especially considering the low
cost. Since Harry only made a limited run, I am ordering a few more sets.   


Mary Ann says:
>For those of you who don't know Harry, he is a great guy and it's no
>problem doing business with him.  He's been a great help to the NSA in the
>past and will continue doing so as he will be the chairman for next year's
>convention in Green Bay, Wisconson - 1999.  (Since he was chairman for
>Milwaukee in 1994 it shows his dedication to stereo.)

Wow!  Less than five years and he's recovered enough to do it again?  He's
a rock! 
When can I go again?     

>
>Mary Ann Sell
>Vice President
>NSA
>

Bill Davis
Chairman, etc. 
1996 NSA Convention


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