William Gross Magee, graphic communications lecturer at Murray State, is publishing a collection of 3D photographs depicting Mammoth Cave. Hear Magee and Tracy Ross discuss the book and the photographer that inspired it on Sounds Good.
3D photography isn’t actually 3D – it’s two images taken a set distance apart (like the distance between the human eyes) and overlaid on top of another to form the final picture. It’s the same technique seen in films advertised as 3D.
Magee says he was inspired by fellow photographer Charles Waldack, who took well-known photos of the cave in 1866. Waldack was a leader in the industry, taking on new development techniques and photography projects; his Mammoth Cave photos were developed with a technique that used burning magnesium ribbon.
Magee’s project is a re-shoot of Waldack’s work. He began in 2011 and took the trip to Mammoth Cave eight times over the course of shooting.
The professor says something interesting is that the locations photographed haven’t changed at all in the 150-year gap between his and Waldack’s visits.
Mammoth Cave Photographic Company, Then & Now will release June 14, both as a print version and free PDF.
