This method is the easiest way to experiment with three-dimensional photography, and the results will astound you. My attempt here is to explain to you quickly and simply, so that you can try it out right after your read this article. First, you need a camera: Yours! Either digital, or film is fine. If you use film, try using slide film (I'll explain later). Here is the technique: You compose and "shoot" the first shot with 90% of your weight on your left foot. The second shot is with 90% of your weight on your right foot. That's it. Now, here are some simple-to-follow rules:

• Keep the camera level at all times. In other words, don't tilt it so that the right or left is higher or lower than the other. You can buy a bubble level that mounts on the hot shoe if you feel it would help.
• When you shift over to your right foot, let the composition shift over to the right as well. In other words, keep the camera still, but let your whole body along with the camera, shift over to the right. That's it.

Viewing the image in 3D takes on different forms. If you shot with slide film, there is a slide viewer that you can purchase that looks like binoculars wherein you place the slides. How do you know which slide is left & right? The first shot (with the left foot) is usually on the left side of the viewer, and the right slide to the right side of the viewer. But the best method is shifting them to either side and looking through the viewer. What's far looks far, and what's near looks near. If it's wrong, the near & far objects will look bunched together. After you figure out which slide is left & right, label them with a permanent marker.

Another way is if you had prints made. You can view them in 3D with a technique called "cross-eyed viewing." You mount the two photos together on a mat board first, look at them with both eyes, and SLIGHTLY cross your eyes until one image appears in the center. This is the 3D image. Again, there are 3D viewers you can purchase so that you don't have to look at them cross-eyed.

If you had made your 3D photos with a digital camera, open up both images in Photoshop, PhotoImpact or other types of editing software. Put one next to the other, and look at it using the cross-eye method. If it looks okay, label one RIGHT, and the other one LEFT (what I mean by label is to put right or left as part of its file name). Then "stitch" both photographs and SAVE. Photoimpact uses the term "stitch" but I am not sure what Photoshop uses.

Viewers are a good investment. If you want a slide viewer, make sure you get the 2x2 Twin 35mm Slide Viewer. They go for around to for the plastic ones, up to more than 0 for viewers with their own light source. The print viewers cost from .95 to .00 in kit form, made like the old-fashioned wooden turn-of-the-century designs. You can get viewers on Ebay;
www.reel3d.com (they went out of business, but the site is still active & will direct you to online retailers); or just run a Google for 3D photo supplies.

I will post some 3D photographs at Shutterbugs in the near future. See you there.

:)