P3D Re Muybridge

[Peter Homer <P.J.Homer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Actualy Muybridge was also as stereophotographer and I read in the
introduction to "Animal Motion" that his early attempts were made with
banks of stereo cameras. The results could be viewed in a combined
Wheatstone stereoscope  and two Zoetropes to give the illusion of a
"Minature solid trotting horse" . But I have not seen these stereo pairs
reproduced anywhere, his later work was not stereo but I find that free
viewing adjacent pairs in the strips will turn up some accidental stereo
pairs. Theoreticaly this should not happen as the intention was to take the
picture in the same position with respect to each camera every time . But
there are inaccuracies because one of the methods used was a timing
mechanism synched to the movement of the subject which could not be exact.
I believe the method originaly used with the horse was to have it breast
thin threads which then broke after tripping the shutter. A later method
with horse and cart was for the metal band on the wheel to make an
electical contact,Some of the accidental stereos are actualy pseudoscopic.
I did not realise that Muybridge had also used his arrangment to take
freeze frame moving pictures, I was aware that he projected some of his
sequences with a kind of magic lantern with a revolving disc which he
called a Zoopraxiscope.
 I tried photocopying some of his sequences and viewing them in a
reproduction Zoetrope (produced by Van-Cort instruments) they worked quite
well but I was also hoping to see some stereoscopic effect as it seemed to
me the arrangment of the slits of the Zoetrope should produce some parralax
seperation as with a lenticular. I believe Jeremy Hinton of this group
wrote an article about such a device for the UK stereoscopic society
bulletin ,although his was polygonal rather than a drum in order to give
more seperation .And was intended to show the stereo effect only although
he thought it could be used to show motion as well. The stereo effect was
not very good in the Zoetrope even when I tried the variation of viewing
the pictures in a polygonal mirror at the centre of the Zoetrope  (actualy
a polygonal plastic lens case filled with mercury) which I hoped would give
me an arrangment more like Jeremy Hintons. I wrote an articles about my
findings and experiences for the UK stereoscopic society bulletin (now the
Journal) in reply to Jeremy Hintons article. P.J.Homer



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