Senior Project Pt. 2

Here is the 2nd (and hopefully less complicated) portion of my previous post; the application of what we learned.

I've gotten a camera lens from a company, Loreo, call lens in a cap that takes photos from 2 separate perspectives at the same time. Basically, it looks like this:

And here is a photo that I took using it at a wedding of my friend, Lee:

Note that the left image looks very similar to, but is slightly different than the right image.

How to make the image above look 3d

I would explain it, but photographer Neil Creek is much better at it so I'll send you his way:
http://www.neilcreek.com/blog/2008/02/28/how-to-see-3d-photos/

Here's another photo of his to try it on: A light painting that I will definitely be trying out, soon.

All rights reserved by neilcreek

This post is important! I will be showing images like this for a while, I'm sure! So for them to make sense you should learn how to cross-view!

For those who can't, though, there are viewing tools such as Loreo's pixi-viewer that is like a pair of glasses that does the crossing over for you. I emailed the company that sales them and asked for a donation of 10 pair for guests to use at my senior exhibition which they replied to and agreed to send me. So major props to Loreo for cool equipment and staff!

This is all for now.

Senior Project Pt. 1

For those who don't know, I've entered into my senior year (sort of) here at GCSU. I will be graduating in December of 2011. I will get a BA in Studio Art. For our senior capstone, we're required to take 2 classes consecutively, senior project and senior exhibition. Senior project is a prerequisite to senior exhibition and is what I am taking this semester.
Basically, I have to put together enough work on my own between this and next semester to have an exhibition of all of my own original work.

I have decided to work with 3-dimensional images and video to demonstrate and emphasize/exaggerate art as an experience.
So, bring on the technicalities: How does 3D imaging work? - How do we add depth to a flat or 2 dimensional surface?

Let's start from the beginning. How is it that we see in real life? and, what I'm interested in, how is it that we see depth? Fortunately, we've had some wise guys in the past do the work for us. We just have to read their words and look at their diagrams. "It is by the combination of two plane pictures of an object, as seen by each eye, that we see the object in relief, yet the relief is not obtained from the mere combination or superposition of the two dissimilar pictures. The superposition is effected by turning each eye upon the object, but the relief is given by the play of the optic axes in uniting, in rapid succession, similar points of the two pictures, and placing them, for the moment, at the distance from the observer of the point to which the axes converge." -David Brewster

Simple enough? :) Let's break that down. And for this post I am going to focus on the first sentence. We have 2 eyes. Each eye lets in light and "sees". The brain processes the image from the left eye as well as the image from the right eye and puts them together. This is where depth is obtained- since there is space between your eyes, each one has a different perspective. How do we know this? Common sense. Close your left eye, then close your right and eye and you will see 2 very similar but slightly altered images. Altered because they are observing from 2 separate angles (see diagram below).

Let's reference the sentence in bold to better explain how we see, though. "It is by the combination of two plane pictures of an object, as seen by each eye, that we see an object in relief". Relief here means an object's depth, distance from ourselves.

Okay, pulling it back together. We see by the combination(or superposition) of our right and left eye.
How do we use this concept to create 3D images or video? By the art of illusion.

 Replace the words "left eye" and "right eye" with "left camera" and "right camera" in this diagram. That's right- we take pictures/film with 2 cameras at the same time and spread them about the same distance apart as human eyes. Then, through various processes, allow the left eye to only see what the left camera filmed and allow the right eye to see only what the right camera filmed. It is mimicking how our vision works. Whenever we see both images put together, our brain processes the depth just as it does things in every day life.

Let's show September some love, shall we?

September. It has blown by. Some of my favorites this month:

 

This is a picture that I took at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. An interesting technique that I have found is to convert a photo to black & white and overexpose it. In this case, I believe that it captures my environment perfectly. Nascar races are raw. And so are their fans. I can almost feel the grit in the photo.

I figured I might as well show this one as well. The same technique was applied. B&W, overexpose. the darks need to be dark. We want a full range of values still. Dark darks and white whites. Basics! Lest we not forget them! --also taken at the race

I have mixed opinions here.The texture of the fence and cement wall are wonderful, with a sort of distorted color to make it intersting.
The car. Does blur work here? yea...no...maybe? It shows speed and direction following the lines of the track, yes, but I almost wish it were More blurred. either that or really clear, like pictures of water droplets frozen in time it would interest the viewer, I think. I got in trouble for standing in this spot to take a picture so I couldn't test my theories. Hm.. perhaps next time.

John Schnatter (Papa John) decided to make a surprise appearance to some lucky fans, and one lucky photographer. Actually, the reason I was at the track was because I got the opportunity to work at a mobile kitchen in winner's circle of the track because Papa John's was sponsoring the race for the day. I made he and his family their pizzas. Claim to fame!
I love the emotion in this picture- I'm not sure, but it seems that Papa John really is enjoying himself for a few moments. He's still proud of his product and apparently gives it away by the hand fulls.

Yep. Here we are, inside the mobile kitchen. In this bag, for those who are curious, is what we call "dustinator", a cleverly named formula of flower and corn meal that is used to coat and handle the dough.

"Ya see that? Yep, son. It's yet another fast and obnoxiously loud car. Isn't it wonderful?"


Alright, I've tons more, but enough of that event. Here's a few more that I snapped on a separate night. This was on a walk around campus.

I was walking with the GCSU Wesley praise band because I was doing some band pics for them- I decided to do portraits of each band member. Here are 2:

The challenge. I took these pictures at night.. when it's dark.. with a stock flash that comes with the camera. The challenge was editing them to undo the damage a bad flash can do. Some things, the wrong things, were over exposed while others needed more light and focusing is an issue because the camera can't see much to focus on (because all it sees is black) among other difficulties. But anyway, lesson learned. Night portraiture, not easy.

My roommate is trying to sell his R6 crotch rocket. As I'm finding a pattern, he asked me to take pictures of his newly acclaimed vehicle so that he could prove a motorcycle has existed in his past. Note the poor editing in the bottom left corner of the frame/border- I assumed anyone looking hard enough at a picture on craigslist to notice and care about such a flaw Probably is not the type of person interested in buying a crotch rocket, so I just didn't really bother with it.



I like to think I took full advantage of this fine piece of machinery which still sits in my yard.

Yes, those pants are from the 70's.


Later I will post some drawings and sketches that I've done in various art classes and notebooks, but for now, hopefully this will satisfy. More to come.

Hmm. =]