Now that
digital photography is commonplace, it is trivial to take stereo pictures of static objects, and no stereoscope is needed to view them!
Simply set your camera to lock in the exposure of the scene you want to take a stereograph of, then take one picture, move the camera about 10cm to the right, reframe the subject, and take a second picture. Make sure focus and exposure remain the same between the two photos.
Always take either the left or the right photo first, so you don't have to keep track of which is which. Then, on the computer, resize the photos so they both fit on the screen, then paste them both into a new document. Place the "left side" photo on the right, and the "right side" photo on the left. The two copies of the object of interest shouldn't be too far apart; a few inches at most.
Now, sit back and cross your eyes so that the two images overlap... You should suddenly see your scene in 3D! This requires no special equipment; only the ability to cross your eyes.
A few downsides, of course:
- The scene must be static; it is probably difficult to take a stereographic photo of your cat this way.
- Your camera must support exposure and focus lock; if not, the results may come out strange, and of course
- Crossing your eyes can become uncomfortable after a while, and you or someone you are showing the photos to may not be able to do this. (my mother can't, for instance)
Note that you can exaggerate the 3D effect in some scenes by taking the photos further apart, and reduce the effect (helpful at close range) by taking them closer together.
Enjoy your newfound 3D photo taking ability!