Introduction

My interest in photography started of as only a hobby where I taught myself the basics of using a camera. I enjoyed it so much that after having children it inspired me to pursue a career in photography.

During my three years at Blackburn College I have been able to experiment with a range of equipment and techniques. It has also given me the opportunity to travel to places like New York and Poland for part of my projects.

I have found the past three years very challenging and enjoyed the briefs we were set. Some where more daunting than others however, seeing my work improve over the years has given me a great sense of achievement.

My main interests are Exhibition and community arts and for my work based learning I had the opportunity to work within my local community, museum and local newspaper. From this I learnt I enjoyed working with people in the community with my main body of work consisting of portraiture, as I find it inspiring working with people on location using natural light and environments.

During the summer before I started the final year, I gained a interest in stereoscopic (3D) photography, while researching for my dissertation.

This lead to me exploring this area further for the Professional Practice brief. I enjoyed this brief as it allowed me to explore the different techniques and processes involved in creating stereo images (3D). For this brief we also had to enter competitions. At first this was a worry because 3D photography is not widely used any more. However with the research from my dissertation I found that 3D imaging had greatly improved and is becoming more popular, with gaming devices, TVs and the cinema showing more and more films in 3D. This lead me to explore the different technology available for creating 3D photographs with Fuji film creating a new 3D digital camera.

This then lead to Sony also producing a 3D camera and their first every 3D video and photography competition.

http://www.worldphoto.org/competitions/3d-award/

This is one of the images I entered using the fujifilm W3. I chose this image because I like the Contre Jour lighting combined with the 3D effect. My aim was to use a combination of techniques I had learnt over the 3 years at Blackburn and combine it with the 3D technology I wanted to experiment with. 

For this brief I learnt lots of different techniques used for printing and viewing 3D images.  These where printed using the anaglyph technique.

The anaglyphic technique is the same principle as stereoscopes with the taken images being taken from the view of each eye. The difference between the two however is an anaglyph uses two colours to be able to see in 3D. The left image red and the right image and images have to be viewed with glasses that have a different colour filter on each eye. This technique is quite popular because the paper type glasses can be produce cheaply.

I found that by using this technique created a problem with the luminance because the two images are not seen the same with each eye. This is called Retinal Rivalry and makes it unpleasant for the viewer with a image appearing to flicker making the eyes feel heavy or dull.

So using a different method for printing I found Fujifilm print there own 3D images using the lenticular printing.

https://www.fujifilmreal3d.com/printguide

However I found the best way for viewing my images where the stereoscopic side by side viewing. 

Using a stereoscopic viewer to view these images worked the best because there is no loss of colour.

At the start of my final year I didn’t know much about the techniques involved with stereoscopy. However, researching for the professional practice and dissertation I found lots of different ways I could explore to create different types of images.

I have found this very challenging but I am pleased with the results of the images I have created, especially for the Visual Metaphor brief where I had the chance to go to Poland and visit Auschwitz.

The Visual Metaphor brief I initially found very challenging because I have never really studied different types of literature however, I found that this was one of the briefs I enjoyed the most.

I was at first worried about using stereoscopy for Auschwitz because using this type of imaging could be seen as a bit gimmicky. However after a tutorial with my tutor we both agreed that by using the viewer which was to as like a child's toy, to view the horrors of Auschwitz, made the viewer think about what it is they were viewing. I feel this was a turning point with my stereoscopic imaging and therefore felt like I wasn't just using it as some sort of gimmick.


One of my main sources of inspiration came from the film industry because this is where 3D is really beginning to change the way we view images. With directors such as James Cameron and Martin Scorsese using different techniques to view 3D.  Cameron choosing a subtle approach and Scorsese using the pokey eye method.

Both were inspired by the work of Harold Llyod who was a silent film actor who took 3D photographs of Hollywood stars in the 1950s.

3D aims to be an immersive product, taking the viewer into the scene, heightening realism, whilst still being entertainment and not an alternative reality. To view a piece of art, photography, theatre play or film, we can detach ourselves from the issues of the real world and enjoy the production for what it is. It is fictional. It is entertainment. There is no need to attempt to involve oneself physically.  This is what inspired me to explore 3D to push the boundries and create a different way of viewing images. 

The boundaries of aesthetic distance are played upon to involve the audience and provoke reaction. In these sense 3D films successfully enhances the aesthetic distance for the viewer, and I agree with James Cameron’s approach that the story telling comes first, the visual enhancement is simply an element of the creative process. The cinema is about escapism, views into fantasy worlds, and 3D can add to that ideology. 

 

I also gained a lot of inspiration from looking at the victorian era and the history of the stereo image. 

"See the world from your parlour!" is one of the many advertising slogans from that era. This is what influenced most of my work.

My aim was to create a view of the different places I had visited, giving a sense of space and of being there, creating an experience. 

Another influence was Brian Mays book "The Village of Lost and Found".  which is group of 3-D photos dating from the 1850s that were taken by photographer T.R. Williams. May then traces where each photo was taken and recreates the image.

 

 I found this type of work interesting because it give you an insight into the lives of the people in the 1800s and shows how its changed.