One of the things I have been interested by for a long time has been the way in which 3D can be presented on a 2D surface. I’m not talking about general perspective, though that plays a part. What I am talking about is genuine “leaps off the page at you” type of 3D.

We are all no doubt familiar with those red/cyan specs that you sometimes get with magazine, comics or to accompany a TV show. There are also the glasses you get when you see a 3D film, such as Avatar. Both of these techniques attempt to show each eye a slightly differing image which the brain interprets as a three dimensional image, with varying degrees of success depending on how the image was put together, and the ability of the glasses to provide the correct amount of filtering.

The image to the left is an anaglyph image that I took with a 3D camera. You can view it bigger by clicking on it, but you will need red/cyan 3D glasses to see it properly.

Experimentation with 3D imagery is always going to be limited to the most readily available technology, and right this moment, it’s anaglyph. It’s cheap to do, and the end user is not required to invest in expensive viewing equipment. A pair of 3D glasses can cost as little as a couple of pounds, or you could even make your own.

Here is a gallery of my anaglyph photos.