Throwback Thursday: Fire

It was just before 9:00am on Saturday March 7, 2015. Spring break had just started, but it was a cool Texas morning, so we started the gas fireplace. The flue failed, heat built up in the chimney and caught the material outside the metal pipe on fire. We saw the flames through the gaps in the mantel and fireplace. Our house was on fire.

Photo description: partially melted outdoor clock that had been mounted on the outside of the chimney

We got everyone out, dog and cats included. There was no loss of life, but the fire took the chimney and the upper level. Smoke filled the whole house. We were displaced into a rental for six months while a contractor oversaw the restoration process. I wouldn’t wish fire or flood on anyone, but a single fire is easier than a flooded city, because there are good neighbors who can reach out and help, especially mentally.

Pouring through old photos for the Throwback Thursday posts sometimes do throw a kick to the gut. I decided not to pass this one by, but to remember. The biggest take away I had from the house fire is that it was all just… stuff. And we had so much stuff. The house had great storage areas, and we filled them. After the fire, I started reducing the sheer amount of things we kept, and believe me, plenty of things survived the smoke and then the ozone cleaning process. I still have too many things, and reducing is a work in progress. Things are not life, what we do with things is, but there is a balance to be found.

Arboretum 3D photography, part 4

OK, this is the last photo pair that I took at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City, OK. This one is my favorite.

Photo description: Parallel view, water trench with a view of the conservatory past the trees
Photo description: Cross view, water trench with a view of the conservatory past the trees

The plant in the foreground is centered in the photo, and the side of the trench hits about the same place in each photo, which gives less edge artifacts when viewing the 3D image. I like the way the plants and trees add depth, and more trees and the conservatory are in the background.

That is it for the stereographic photography for now. It is such an easy thing to do when I’m taking pictures, though, that I will absolutely be taking more. I have fun seeing the unexpected depth in the blog feed, so I’ll keep sharing too.

Here is a quick recap of my process: I find a subject with a foreground, mid ground, and background, with little or no moving elements. I plant my feet hip width apart and hold the camera at eye level. I shift my weight to the left, take a portrait picture, then switch my weight to the right and take another portrait picture. At home, I make a file in my photo editor that is twice as wide as my portrait photos and put the photos next to each other. I have to zoom out to see the parallel view and check that I put the photos in the right order. I then switch the photo positions for the cross view. I still can’t view the cross view, which is called a cross view because the left eye looks at the right picture, and the right eye looks at the left picture. It gives me a headache.

Arboretum 3D photography, part 3

Yup, more photo pairs that I took at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City, OK. This time outside in the gardens.

Photo description: Parallel view, Band Shell at the end of the Devon Lawn
Photo description: Cross view, Band Shell at the end of the Devon Lawn

I had high hopes for the 3D viewing of the Band Shell (and really should have made my eldest try the acoustics with me, or recruited people for a quartet, or even tried a little yodel, I thought it was a shade structure at the time of the photography). The tile work has depth, but the structure doesn’t really, and the building and trees are too far away. Hm.

Here is a little walkway to a wood bench, which always makes me happy, where ever I find them.

Photo description: Parallel view, Walkway and bench in the gardens
Photo description: Cross view, Walkway and bench in the gardens

Arboretum 3D photography, part 2

Here are a couple more photo pairs that I took at the conservatory at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City, OK.

Photo description: Parallel view, looking down the conservatory
Photo description: Cross view, looking down the conservatory

The trouble with the stereographic photographs above is the people. They aren’t holding still, so are in different positions even with the quick succession that I took the photos. When I view the parallel image, the people are ghost-like and impossible to focus on.

Below is a set of pictures of the walkway again, but with some plants in the background and no people.

Photo description: Parallel view, Walkway in the conservatory
Photo description: Cross view, Walkway in the conservatory

Um, yes, I have more photo sets. I’ve been only posting two at a time to give your eyes a break, but if you don’t like these at all, you might want to check in with me in a few days for different content.

Arboretum 3D photography

I recently visited the conservatory and gardens at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City, OK. So many opportunities for stereographic photos! I took many using my eldest’s phone, a OnePlus. I stood with my feet shoulder’s width apart, the camera at eye level, then shifted my weight left, took a picture, shifted by weight right, and took the second picture.

Photo description: Parallel view, Walkway in the conservatory
Photo description: Cross view, Walkway in the conservatory

I decided to prepare the photos on my computer, rather than fiddle with placing on my phone. I found out that I can’t view the parallel photo if the combined pictures are larger than my phone screen! Hm. I can’t view the cross view 3D effect at all, but in the stereographic posts I’ve seen, there are people that have the opposite problem. The difference between setting up photos for parallel or cross view is just switching photo positions. It is the same two photos, just swapped. Easy enough to do when on the computer.

I also found that while the conservatory walkway has spectacular depth, trying to get the pictures to merge is dizzying with all those lines. So here is one that is less straining.

Photo description: Parallel view, Walkway in the gardens
Photo description: Cross view, Walkway in the gardens