3D FOTO

Since the beginning of the 19th century, people have been enthusiastic about stereoscopic representations. Initially, these were drawings primarily for children, visually framing stories and fairy tales. The first photograph of the world by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce is dated 1926. The first 3D stereo viewers for photos and cameras came onto the European market in the 1850s. The impetus for this development was the reproach by classical painters that photographs had too little spatial effect. This is an ongoing conflict that continues to this day, as photography is not a recognised art form in many circles.

Stereoscopic 3D photos imitate the spatial vision of the human eye. By taking two laterally offset photos, one for the right eye and one for the left eye, our brain can create spatial images. These spatial images can accurately depict our environment, but can also be used to place the subject in interesting perspectives and enhance photographic effects. This makes the stereoscopic technique a design tool in photography.

In 1854, the British developer and inventor David Brewster introduced the first two-lens camera. It was now possible to create stereoscopic images in one shot without moving the camera by the interpupillary distance between two shots. This meant that moving objects could now also be displayed. In 1856, Brewster simplified the stereoscope by replacing the mirrors with lens-like bent prisms. In this way, the two images coincided completely.

The new exhibition at the Kulturfabrik Ilmenau is dedicated to anaglyph images. Anaglyphs are 3D images which are equipped with foils in complementary colours for the right and left eye through glasses. This process was developed in 1853 by Wilhelm Rollmann in Leipzig. Initially, anaglyph images were used in mathematical textbooks to illustrate stereometry and trigonometry. In the 1970s, Stephen Gibson improved the colour anaglyph technique with his patented "Deep Vision" system, which enabled better true colour representation.

The 3D Stereo Photo Friends are amateurs. Since 2010, they have been meeting once a month for technical discussions, to work on new techniques and, above all, to discuss their photographs with each other. Depending on the situation, they now also see each other almost daily in the video conference. Of course, new interested comrades-in-arms are always welcome.