[photo-3d] Stereo yesterday, today and tomorrow...

["Dr. George A. Themelis" <drt-3d@xxxxxxx>]

Chuck is determined to increase traffic in photo-3d :)

The subject of rise and decline of public interest in stereo 
has been discussed numerous times and people have 
expressed various ideas/opinions.  No one of course knows 
for sure but people seem to agree in a number of factors.

Historically we have seen two peaks, each followed by a 
decline.  One was in the area of stereoviews.  The interest 
that started in 1850 was followed by a decline in the 
beginning of the 20th century with stereoview companies 
closing one after the other.  In this case I think the public 
got tired of it, stereoviews became a think of the past, 
something that grandpa and grandma would do, especially 
with new and exciting things in the horizon like magazines, 
movies, illustrations, etc.

The peak of Do-It-Yourself color stereo photography in 
the early 1950s lasted a short time (just a few years) before 
the whole thing collapsed.  For a moment it seemed that 
everything was going stereo from movies to TV, comics, etc. 
 A lot of people were coerced into 3d just to be in tune with 
the times.  One example is the celebrated glamour 
photographer Peter Gowland who even wrote a book on 
the subject!  But once 3d was down, these people were 
abandoning ship as fast as they could!

What aided to the decline I believe is the demanding nature 
of the hobby and the inherent problems of viewing and 
sharing stereo images.  Making and showing good stereo 
images is not easy.  Alignment is important.  3d got a bad 
name from projection difficulties in 3d movies.  A lot of the 
pictures amateurs took in the 1950s are really really bad!  
Many people got discouraged.  Viewing has always been a 
problem.  Stereo is not easy to share.  New forms of 
entertainment (TV, color TV, wide movies, glossy magazines, 
prints) again took the public off the 3d track.

How can we prevent this from happening again?  First, we 
must have a new wave of popularity.  After the "dark years" 
from 1970 to 1980 (imagine, there was no NSA, stereo clubs
were dying, the Stereoscopic Society was almost closed, no 
stereo suppliers) gradually things gotten better, but no real peak.  
NSA formed, Reel 3-D provided a source for stereo supplies, 
various clubs formed, IMAX appeared.  The Internet has 
helped discover each other, get organized, form discussion 
lists, spread the word.

What's in the future?  If you look back, it is obvious that each 
wave of popularity was the result of a new factor coming in.  
For example, the peak of the 1950s came about thanks to the 
color 35mm slide film.  Color slide film was around for a while 
until Gruber and Rochwite had the idea to reunite color and 
stereo, a combination that could knock your socks off.

Today I think digital imaging has the potential to renew popular
 interest in do-it-yourself stereo.  The problems of alignment 
and viewing find new answers though digital manipulation of
the images (computer software).

The question "do we really want stereo to be popular again?" 
should not be dismissed.  Our hobby is practiced by a small 
number of enthusiasts who know each other, talk to each 
other and meet each other in the various stereo conventions. 
Everyone involved in it feels special for this reason.  If every 
Dick and Harry got into it, it will lose some of the fun for 
many of us.  However, every new wave brings around many 
toys and images to keep us busy for a few decades.  From 
the 1800s we have the stereoscopes and stereoviews to 
enjoy, from the 1950s the various stereo cameras & viewers
we use today, plus color stereo slides and view masters to 
collect.  Why not a new batch of toys and collectibles now?

Finally, I would like to revisit the impact of the internet in 
our hobby.  A lot of people are discovering stereo again, 
as collectors or users, thanks to the internet.  Anyone who 
collects items of a specific subject, say "Greece", sooner or 
later will run into stereoviews and view masters in ebay for 
example.  I know a lot of people who got into collecting 
stereoviews indirectly like that.  Similarly, people run into 
stereo cameras and are tempted to buy and try them.  

Back in 1988 when I got started, after 6 months of research 
I had only seen a picture of a Realist in McKay's book in the 
library and Reel 3-D's catalog, before I saw one in a garage 
sale.  Today anyone who does a search for "stereo" in the 
web will run into a Realist within seconds.  And can buy
one from ebay in a matter of minutes and have it in his
hand tomorrow, so to speak.  So the Internet is bringing 
people into our hobby slowly.  No explosions here.  
Perhaps this is the way of the future... a gradual awareness 
of stereo?  In that respect, we are all contributing in keeping 
stereo alive...

George Themelis
http://home.att.net/~drt-3d/