J.F. Borno enjoys learning and writing about many early photographic topics, including stereograph viewers and stereograph cards.
While not an expert on stereographs or stereoviews, I do know that I had a hard time seeing the three dimensional images when I first started viewing them with a handheld stereograph viewer. Here is how to freeview a stereograph, that is, view the image without a stereograph viewing device. Please note this is how I view the smaller stereographic images found in books. You may have a different experience with the larger stereograph cards.
First off, if you don’t know what a stereograph is, it’s basically a card with two almost identical images side by side. When you view the image with a stereograph viewer, it distorts your vision to make the object in the stereograph jump out at you. Basically, making it 3D. It’s awesome when you see the image properly; however, sometimes it’s hard to make out the image. The image may appear blurry or out of focus because your eyes might be further or closer apart, among other reasons. Like me, maybe you’ll be better off without a stereograph viewer.
To freeview a stereograph, first lay the stereograph image down flat onto a table. Make sure there is no glare on the image, as that will affect your results. Then with your head a few or several inches from the book, relax your eyes and ever so slightly cross your eyes. You may see the two images distort into one, you may even see the images distort into four. It may just look like a big mess. That’s okay.
Now pull your head back away from the image until you start to see three images and you start to notice the center image becomes three dimensional! You’ll probably have to move your head back and forth to find the right spot. For me, with an image 3 inches by 6 inches, my eyes are about one foot away. You may notice the image seems to move, or bounce, back and forth. That’s okay. It may take you a little practice to free-view.
For me, it’s the center of three images that appears in 3D. I just ignore the outer two and my eyes can still move around and enjoy the center one. Please keep in mind that if you can’t see the image or if your eyes hurt, just take a break and try again. Your eyes will adjust automatically and sometimes the harder you try, the harder it gets to see the stereograph. Just relax.
And that’s all there is to freeviewing a small stereographic image! Please keep in mind that for larger stereoscopic cards, you may or may not need a stereographic viewer. Also, I’ve read a small percentage of people simply cannot freeview a stereograph, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re not getting it.
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