Stereoscopy is Good For You: Life in 3-D

Product Information

So which images are his personal favourites? ‘It’s hard to choose, but I love the coach and horses (see above). It’s breathtakingly beautiful when you look at it through the Owl viewer. You feel this rush of cold air, hear the crunch of the snow, sense the horses… We did consider it as a cover for the book, but went with the monarch butterfly, which we also love.’ As well as many images from Europe, Stereoscopy is Good for You features work from farther-flung places. ‘Stereoscopy seems to be popular in Japan, certainly in my sphere of influence, and there are some great photographers with whom I communicate with directly. And there must be something in us which makes us yearn for the old kind of photography. Digital can Brian, creator of the 21st-century incarnation of the London Stereoscopic Company (LSC), has become an Internet evangelist for 3-D photography in recent years. Through the LSC, he invited the world to capture uplifting images from the uncertainty of their new reality. As Covid continued to take its toll on the world, the fast growing stereo community kept on snapping away, lifting their spirits through this often neglected, but uniquely powerful photographic medium. Throughout the last two years thousands of powerful images came pouring in, celebrating nature, intriguing insects, people, pets, architecture, indoor recreations, even the sky above…. and a new title was born. Brian May says : This is a thrill, and a first, to do a book signing session in my own store. I’m hoping this will lead to stereoscopy having a permanent home in London for the first time since the 19th century.

Stereoscopy Is Good For You – Contributors’ Event Stereoscopy Is Good For You – Contributors’ Event

As part of the promotion for Brian’s forthcoming book Stereoscopy Is Good For You: Life in 3-D, a leading London photography gallery shall run a five-month exhibition, showcasing some of the captivating imagery. Returning to image making, Brian strongly believes that exploring stereo photography can benefit more conventional photographers, too. ‘This may sound corny, but taking stereo pictures does open your eyes. You see in a different way, as you need to imagine that you can see depth as well as everything else. As well as being a legendary guitarist, Brian May is an evangelist for stereoscopic photography. He’s publishing a new book and holding an exhibition of pictures that capture the world in incredible and immersive detail. How Brian May’s interest in stereoscopic photography developed Does Brian think that some would-be exponents are put off by the time involved in stereoscopic photography? Or have apps made it much easier?Stereoscopy turned out to be a “rollercoaster ride with peaks and periods of total oblivion and neglect”, he added. After the Victorians, it enjoyed a revival during the first world war, and again in the 1950s when the young May became enraptured. May, who has a PhD in astrophysics, is in the process of acquiring another set of images that will make his collection of stereos the biggest in the world. He is transferring all of them into the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy. The instruments were advertised in the Times “at unprecedented low prices”, starting at sixpence, under the heading “No home without a stereoscope”. Cards were given away with magazines and circulated through special libraries.

Brian May: “Stereoscopy Is Good For You” – Book Signing

This show exhibits new 3-D photography from the LSC’s latest publication “Stereoscopy Is Good For You: Life in 3-D”. But the presentation also includes a dazzling array of historical images communicating the excitement of Stereoscopy in Victorian times, and a selection of Brian May’s own stereoscopic work depicting QUEEN from the inside, as well as his own history in stereoscopy. A couple of images came from Russia too,’ Brian reveals, ‘and we debated whether to include them. In fact, the book had already gone to press by the time of the Ukraine invasion, but we wondered if we should have taken them out. But I thought, hey, these are images made by common people like us, and they have no influence on their government.The whole of the LSC is only about six people, and five of us were involved in the book,’ he explains, ‘so it wasn’t a big team but it was a very hard-working one. I’m thrilled that London’s prestigious PROUD gallery will be hosting our exhibition for a massive FIVE MONTHS. The stars seem to be aligning – this is IT ! “Stereoscopy Is Good For You” will put 3-D firmly on the map in 2022 !” I want to 3-D: stereoscopic images that come alive in Brian May’s book and exhibition from Andrew Lauren, New York