P3D Comments and Diatribe

[Bob_Maxey@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

>>Stereo photography is a technical field.  If that scares away the
newbies,
then that's how it is.  I think we do the hobby an injustice by pretending
it's a no-brainer.

I completely and totally disagree with this comment. Stereo Realists and VM
Personal cameras were sold to thousands of people and granted, it is
technical, but easily learned by anyone with the desire. Millions of stereo
images have been produced without difficulty, so why do you think this is
Rocket Science?

Stereo Photography is not a deep dark science, only a very small part of it
is. I think the attitude expressed above is that Stereo Photography is a
deep, dark secret, filled with things only a Stereo Genius could possibly
master. I maintain that if too much highly technical information is dumped
on the new person, it will dampen his enthusiasm.

I can teach you Motorcycle restoration. I can teach you Web Design, I can
teach you how to operate the most highly advanced manufacturing and test
equipment ever made, I can teach you Visual Basic. Easy, no sweat, if you
have a brain. However, I can also kill the desire to learn if I dump highly
technical information on you. As with what I do, getting a basic level of
competency is easy.

New people can be good without all the highly technical stuff.

Stereo Photography is indeed a "No Brainer".  No one does the hobby any
injustice by keeping the process simple. I can teach anyone how to load a
Realist, how to select film, how to mount the images. Again, a no brainer.
What might be hard to teach is how to produce a truly great image. But this
is no different than with any other type of photography. If anything, a new
Stereo Photographer has an advantage, in that he starts thinking about
composition and getting good depth. This can make him a better photographer
in general.

RM



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