Also from the 2026 Coney Island Mermaid Parade. TL-120 handheld 1/125 @ f16. Canon 600EX flash at half power. I hadn’t used the Canon flash with the TL-120 before, the internet told me that it put out twice as much light as the Vivitar 285H and it worked well using the settings I was accustomed to divided by two.
This was from a 2021 New York Pinup Club shoot at the American Air Power Museum in East Farmingdale NY. TL-120 with Vivitar 285H flash. I shot with Ilford PanF black and white print film and had the reverse processing done by DR-5. I’m not sure if this was one of the last runs they did, as I recall it took a few months to get the processed film back.
Once again from the 2026 Coney Island Mermaid Parade. I haven’t been doing much MF3D shooting lately but I decided to bring my trusty TL120 along for this year’s parade. While shooting I felt the lens board shifting a bit. After the parade I discovered that the lens board screws were getting very loose and one was missing. Fortunately none of the slides I took were affected by this and I tightened everything up.
The Findyhoppers are a group of dancers who I often see at this event, I have years of 3D photos and videos of them rehearsing in the staging area. For this group shot I used a Canon 600EX flash at half power, which matches the full output of the Vivitar 285H I’m used to.
From the 2026 Coney Island Mermaid Parade. TL-120 with Provia 100F pushed one stop. Handheld, most of the day I shot at 1/125 using f16 or 22.
I used a Canon 600EX flash at full power here – this is twice as much light as the Vivitar 285H I’m used to using with this camera. Without the flash our fry lady’s face would have been mostly shadows.
Sorry, I must rest on my laurels this round; these two views of Selene were obtained ten to fifteen years ago(!), the one in the kitchen in natural light with a Sputnik for sure… the one with mirrors in studio probably with the Sputnik, alternately maybe with my Mamiya 6 twin rig, and using a strobe kit for illumination.
The shot with the mirrors was part of a series of images exploring the difficulties people sometimes have in seeing themselves as beautiful, or even just acceptable. I wanted to get models to draw themselves on a mirror, easily just following / tracing their reflection using a grease/wax pencil. The plan had been (actually, still is) to find a very skinny/anorexic model, and have her draw herself as quite fat in the mirror. I’ve not yet found that model, but in the interim got some pretty good pictures with Selene and one other model using this mirror situation.
The kitchen view was inspired by the back-lighting that we got every morning, with sunlight streaming over the stove, lighting up steam etc. as one might cook breakfast. Selene was happy to oblige my desire to add some spice to this visual recipe.
Aeons ago, when I first started shooting MF3d, I set my sights on an abandoned textile mill in downtown Charlottesville. Frank IX & Sons made various textiles there until 1999. What’s amazing to me is that, though I lived in the area, and would have cycled past it almost every day in the mid to late 90’s on my way to work, I was completely oblivious of its existence until after the turn of the century, when I was looking for things to shoot in MF3d. Only now, having read some history on it (for this post!), do I realize that when I took these pictures, the mill must have been shut down just one or two years prior. Indeed, just a few years after my several photo expeditions there, the building was nearly completely removed, and what remains of it is now the centerpiece of an art park, including two breweries (one for sake, the other for beer) and some other social gathering places.
Anyway, on to these two pictures… I had done some exploring and photographing in the vast main hall and then continued to poke and probe ever deeper into the ruins of this structure. At one point I saw a hatch in the factory floor, with a steep ladder descending into blackness. Of course, I had to check that out! At the very bottom, in the faintest of light, I discerned the most amazing scene: a basement, or maybe it should be called a subbasement, that was completely flooded with water. Using a tripod that could hold my cameras very close to this watery surface, I was able to obtain images of the room, where everything above the water was perfectly reflected in the water itself, creating this symmetrical surrealism.
I think this “early” MF3d work was shot with a Sputnik borrowed from my friend Chuck Holzner (RIP), with whom I’d gone to the Buffalo 3D-con the year before? (around 2000) Shot at probably f22, with at least a 30 second exposure time, maybe more… I can recall only that I was worried about reciprocity failure in this film, but that I did not know the numbers. The only light source was a small window far to the left, that opened onto some kind of light-well. The slide gives you a view such as you would experience only with dark-adapted eyesight.
My father moved to upstate Georgia back in 2023 and wanted me to come out for a visit. It’s an interesting part of Georgia, with lots of historical Civil War battlefields, southern cuisine, and of course, Rock City. Rock City, which houses Lover’s Leap, is by far the most obnoxiously advertised amusements in the country. It’s ‘See Rock City’ slogan was painted by 1969 on more than 900 sides of homes, rooftops, billboards, etc. It’s slogan is especially noticeable within a 20 mile radius of the actual park. It’s actually a pretty interesting place to visit, despite it’s annoying slogan (in which my father fell victim to, hence our visit). From the top of Lover’s Leap, one is said to be able to see 7 states from one viewpoint on a clear day. This includes Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, North & South Carolina, Kentucky and of course, Georgia.
Lover’s Leap refers to the act of two lovers jumping to one’s demise to avoid conflict and/or separation of said lovers rather than deal with any issues at hand. Sounds romantic, no?
Rock City was built on top of Lookout Mountain, back in 1935. A gentleman named Garnet Carter and his wife started monetizing the visit to the park in which they built over 4100 feet of walking trails over 700 acres. That trail ends at Lover’s Leap. We managed to clamber over most of the place, but found it to be a bit exhausting. All in all, it was a good place to shoot 3D. If you’re aware of it’s slogan, you may have already been there with it’s enticing ‘See Rock City’ slogan etched in your brain. Shot with my Sputnik, 60th/sec. at f.22. Provia 100f Fujifilm.
My wife and I visited her sister in Albuquerque last year. We had always been curious to see that part of the country. We liked it, but still love the fresh green trees of the Pacific Northwest more. After visiting, we do understand some of it’s magnetizing aspects. Native American art and heritage, unique architecture, and it’s quirky and fascinating history. All in all, I was not totally happy with most of the shots I took there, and I only shot about 2 rolls while I was visiting. So, needless to say, I didn’t have a lot of shots to share. This is a shot of a maintenance building that was built using the same methods as what the original buildings would have been built with back in 600AD. Except for maybe the added window frame of course. The balls you see there are called ‘armas de la tierra’ or ‘weapons of the earth’. This was a Tiwa people’s ancient adobe construction technique. They would use the balls to build walls while they were pliable, thus becoming hardened and sturdy after being dried in the sun.
Coronado is located near Albuquerque and the mighty Rio Grande River, and has been around since at least 1000BC. Everything was fine and dandy until 1540 when a group of European colonists visited and fought with the populace in trying to find gold and silver in the region. None was found, and the expedition was ended in 1542. It was colonized from 1542 onward. Conflict and disease led to a downfall after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and the town was abandoned. It was later designated as New Mexico’s first State Monument site in 1535. Not much is left of the site, hence the picture of the work shed instead of the ruins left behind of the village. I found the work shed to be more interesting to photograph. Shot with my Sputnik, 100th sec., f.22, Bright sun! Provia 100f Fujifilm.
Barichara is a small colonial village town in central Colombia. Surrounded by rolling hills and mountains, it has cobble stone streets, tiled roofed colonial buildings, a nice climate, good cheap food, history, etc. Its an amazing place in the world! It’s also a photographers paradise. Only downside were the hills I had to climb to get anywhere. Besides that, an amazing place to stay. The lighting there was nice, and there were many opportunities to get a good photo. However, in my excitement, I missed a couple good shots due to overexposure metering, missed focus, etc. We’ve all been there. This particular shot in the folio was one of my favorites, showing the simple architecture and the beauty of a sunset there. Such a great place to visit if you’re ever in Colombia!
Built after 1702 when a peasant from the region saw the face of the Virgin Mary in a stone there. A church was placed there in it’s honor. Thus the town formed around this church, and was officially founded in 1705. It doesn’t seem to have changed much since then. It is a Columbian National Monument, and has had status protection since 1978. Shot this on my Sputnik handheld at 100th/sec. at f.16, on Provia 100f Fujifilm.
While visiting Florence back in 2023, I wanted to make a conscious effort to walk around Florence and photograph at night. Being a safe city and very ‘lit-up’ at a lot of the landmarks, it’s a great place to ‘plant a tripod’. As we all know, water in motion is a great way to share the 3D experience, so I had to get a shot of the infamous Fountain of Neptune. Located in the Piazza della Signoria, it’s steps away from the Uffizi Gallery, which houses some of the most famous artwork in the world. The best part of shooting Florence at night are the options. Tons to photograph and lots of historical spots to aim your lens at.
A little history on the fountain. It was commissioned in 1559 by Cossimo l de’ Medici, the Duke of Florence, in celebration of bringing new water to the city after a new aqueduct was built nearby. Almost immediately after being officially completed in 1574, people damaged the fountain. Some used it as a wash basin for laundry and caused discoloration. Other instances included breaking off Neptune’s hand, painting Neptune’s shoulders after Italy winning the World Cup, and most recently, a woman climbing on one of the horses for a ‘selfie’. The photo was taken with my Sputnik, shot at about 15 seconds at f. 16 with Provia 100F Fujifilm. I noticed there’s a blue crescent in the fountain water in the left eye shot, but overall I figured that it was a decent image regardless.
Rivalry City
Fish Tossing
Be Not Afraid
Kerry Park
Irrational Exuberance
Jay Walking
Pt. Robinson Lighthouse with Mt. Rainier
Dahmen Wheel & Gear Fence