brf

Asheville, NC

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 14:41:43 -0500

Asheville, NC

Borrachón trades the bottle for the tin star.

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:12:00 -0500

Borrachón trades the bottle for the tin star.

Flea Market 121711: Misha dances, but no longer dreams of...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:16:47 -0500

Flea Market 121711: Misha dances, but no longer dreams of salvation. (Taken with instagram)

Manhattan, 5th Avenue.

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:21:19 -0500

Manhattan, 5th Avenue.

Hog Roast Morristown, MN

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:45:47 -0400

Hog Roast

Morristown, MN

Take Pills. Bar Harbor, Maine.

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:30:51 -0400

Take Pills.

Bar Harbor, Maine.

Bethesda Terrace, Central Park, NYC FujiColor Pro160C + Leonardo...

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 20:37:54 -0400

Bethesda Terrace, Central Park, NYC

FujiColor Pro160C + Leonardo 4x5 Pinhole

Flea Market Acquisition 061811 Another, with the Macro 5:

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:15:00 -0400

Flea Market Acquisition 061811

Another, with the Macro 5:

Flea Market Acquisition 070211 Surprised nurse wearing...

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:08:00 -0400

Flea Market Acquisition 070211

Surprised nurse wearing disheveled ball gown.

Another, with the Land 250 and 667:

Flea Market Acquisition 062511 Another, with the Macro 5:

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:06:00 -0400

Flea Market Acquisition 062511

Another, with the Macro 5:

Flea market acquisition 060411: Largo. Another, with the Macro 5...

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Flea market acquisition 060411: Largo.

Another, with the Macro 5 and Impossible Project PZ-600:

Flea market acquisition 28 May 2011: Rawwwr.

Sat, 28 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Flea market acquisition 28 May 2011: Rawwwr.

Flea market acquisition 22 May 2011: KONG!

Sun, 22 May 2011 21:49:00 -0400

Flea market acquisition 22 May 2011: KONG!

Photo

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 20:17:15 -0400

Sketchy ATM W 41st Street and 9th Ave

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 00:41:00 -0500

Sketchy ATM

W 41st Street and 9th Ave

Happy birthday to The Greatest. Spotted at Billy’s...

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 11:50:00 -0500

Happy birthday to The Greatest.

Spotted at Billy’s Antiques and Props

Sketchy ATM Coney Island

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:42:00 -0500

Sketchy ATM

Coney Island

Bethesda Terrace, new favorite place in Central Park.

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:32:45 -0500

Bethesda Terrace, new favorite place in Central Park.

I like that no words are spoken between the barber and the...

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 23:43:00 -0500

I like that no words are spoken between the barber and the customer; only how many fingers are held up to indicate which setting on the clippers should be used.

Living in Stereo View-Master blew my mind as a kid. I thought...

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Living in Stereo

View-Master blew my mind as a kid. I thought it was so cool that by viewing two tiny, nearly-identical images- one for each eye- I could experience a hyper-realism that somehow looked more authentic and vivid than the same image appeared using only my own eyeballs. I finally got the opportunity to pick up a 3D camera of my own and have spent the last few months and countless rolls of film experimenting.

I bought a TDC Colorist- a fairly standard, relatively inexpensive stereo camera produced in the late 1950’s. No rangefinder, but for this kind of stereo photography the depth-of-field is more important than precise focusing. It’s an extraordinarily simple technique: Two exposures are made simultaneously and from a distance apart that more or less matches the distance between the average person’s eyes. When seen simultaneously through a viewer- a single image per eye- the ‘stereo’ effect is created. Groovy.

Stereo photography is nearly as old as photography itself: By the mid to late 1800s it was already a hugely popular form of entertainment as a means for people to experience foreign lands, cultures, and events. Oh yeah- and porn. Lots and lots of porn. Being relatively cheap and inexpensively mailed, it was an easily accessible amusement for most anyone interested in most any subject. Advantageous, too, that the stereograms could be handily concealed within the pages of a book or gentleman’s wallet.

Stereo photography seemed a natural companion to my affinity for roadside attractions so I have been taking the Colorist along on any adventure where we might encounter a souvenir stand or anything weird, wonderful, and made of concrete. The choice of subject matter plus use of ultra-vivid, super-saturated color slide film has been delivering delightful results.

I asked @cwiggins to pair these sets for me and describe the best way to view:

“If you have some talent viewing random dot stereograms (those posters of 3D sailboats and unicorns and stuff you used to find at the mall) you can see the 3D effect of these images right here on the screen without any goggles or viewers. Hold your head about 18” or so from your display, make sure your eyes are level (don’t tilt your head), and defocus your eyes until you see a 3rd image between the two: that middle image will be in 3 dimensions. If you can do it, it’s awesome. If you can’t, sorry… it’s hard for some people.”

This relaxed eye-crossing method of viewing stereograms doesn’t work for me- I find it tedious and a little uncomfortable, but evidently most people have no problem. I use an awesome illuminated viewer that really makes the slides look great, and an old-timey stereoscope for printed cards.