It turns out that I have 3 old friends from high school who are nuts about stereo photography. One of them, Joe Towers, showed me how to make stereo pictures using an ordinary 'point and shoot' 35mm camera. This technique involves taking 2 photos, shifting your position slightly from side to side between the shots. Naturally, there can't be any movement in the subject, you've got to do a fairly good job of maintaining a consistent frame on the subject, and you've got to do some adjusting when you mount the prints.

I've been very excited by the results. I normally view the stereo pairs using a stereoscope designed for vision testing. I mount the pair of prints on a piece of poster board, slip it into the cradle on the stereoscope, and voilá, comfortable and stunning stereo viewing! Folks who have never seen this before are always amazed.

How To View The Stereo Pairs

For this website, I've reversed the orientation of the pairs, so that you must cross your eyes to get the stereo effect. Just cross your eyes until the two images fuse into a third image in middle of your visual field. If you continue to work at it, the center 'fused' image will jump into 3 dimensional relief. It's really quite dramatic. Not everyone can do this! So don't be too discouraged if you fail. Contact lenses that are adjusted for near and far vision (each eye being different) will make it difficult to see the 3-D.
 

Inside the cave at Piedras Grandes, Anza Borrego Desert.	Piedras Grandes, Anza Borrego Desert.
Small ornament from Mexico.	Full size model of Stonehenge at Marymount, OR.
A sailing ship.	A little snake refridgerator magnet.