Stereo

The Stereo Section of the BCC is for true stereo or 3D photography where a separate, and slightly different, left and right image are combined to present the viewer with an immersive three dimensional image. This can be done by using a dedicated stereo camera that has two lens mounted in a single body, or two separate cameras mounted side by side, or a single camera that is moved laterally between exposures. The images can be recorded on slide film, print film, or digitally, each having a slightly different viewing method.

Slides can be viewed in one of two ways:

• A handheld viewer.
• Projected on a special silver screen and viewed with polarized glasses.

Prints can be viewed in one of four formats:

• Parallel format  where the left view is on the left side and the right view is on the right side. This requires the viewer to slightly diverge their eyes. There are viewers that can help fuse the image such as the well known Holmes type viewer invented in the late 1800's and still in use today.
• Cross-eye format  where the left image is on the right and the right image is on the left. This requires the viewer to cross their eyes so their right eye sees the left image and vice versa.
• Anaglyph format where the left image is printed in red and the right image is printed in blue or cyan and then both are printed on top of each other on the same piece of paper. Anaglyph glasses with corresponding red and blue or cyan lenses are then used to view the image.
• Lenticular and barrier format where no special glasses or viewer is needed. These are referred to as autostereoscopic.

Digital images can be viewed in all the formats above as well as with liquid crystal shutter glasses or newly introduced autostereoscopic computer monitors.

The Stereo Workshop meeting consists of two events. First is a slide competition, followed by an informational session that can include stereo slide shows from members or invited guests, workshops on how to produce stereo images (including slides, prints, and digital images), demonstrations of new equipment, reports from stereo conventions and meeting, and anything else that may be of interest to the membership.

The slide competition is conducted slightly different than the Print and Slide Workshops:

• Each entrant can enter a maximum of four images mounted in standard 41x101 mounts. No more than three of those images can be of the same format (either 5p and less or 7p and more).
• Slides are grouped according to format (5p and less or 7p and more).
• The Projector is adjusted to fill the screen height and width with a 5p image and all those format images are projected with the number and title of the slide being announced.
• The Projector is then re-adjusted to fill the width with a 7p image and all those format images are projected as above.
• Once all images have been projected they are done again in reverse order with only the number being called out.
• Everyone in attendance is given a score card at the beginning and asked to record the number of their top 3-5 images (the number depends on the total amount of images in the competition).
• In addition one person who does not have any images in the competition is asked to be a 'special judge' and choose 3-5 images they feel deserve special recognition.
• At the end the votes are all tallied and the image with the most votes receives the first place, second most votes receives second place, third most votes receives third place, and the fourth most votes receives an Honorable Mention. However an entrant can only receive a single award for each competition. That means that if an entrant received both first and second they would only receive the first place and the third place entrant would move up to second.
• The images are then placed back in the projector in order (1st, 2nd, 3rd, HM, and Special Judge awards) and shown to the audience allowing them to ask questions of the maker or make comments.
• Any image that wins an award (1st, 2nd, 3rd, HM, and Special Judge awards) is eligible for the Stereo Image of the Year Award.
• The Stereo Image of the Year is determined as above, except the voting is done by all BCC members at the annual award banquet.