Interview With The Guy Who Takes 3D Photos At Detroit Rock Shows

Local rock and rollers have no doubt seen Chris Dean around at shows these past few months. He’s hard to miss: he’s the guy who takes photographs with a strange contraption consisting of seven digital cameras strung together. I wondered what he was doing when I saw him at The Dirtbombs, wondered how exactly he was doing it when I saw him again at Blanche, and knew for sure he was on some sort of mission when I heard he was sighted at The Hentchmen. So, I tracked the artist down online to ask him about the details of his project and his future designs for it.

First, what is that crazy contraption you’ve been carrying around at shows? Did you make it yourself? How does it work?
It is a rig that consists of 7 Canon cameras with hacked firmware, a controller, onboard flash and a wireless transmitter. It is the fourth such rig that I have built for the purposes of taking 3D photos and while it lacks features like synced zoom and auto power that some of the others had it is portable and insanely adept at taking synchronized photos. . . . . up to 1/4000 of a second between all of the cameras. To describe exactly how it works would bore the pants off all but the most nerdy of your readers but it relies on the same principles of stereo vision that are used to make Viewmasters or 3D Imax movies. The primary difference is that it has “in-between” views which allow me to create lenticular images from the data. The fact that there are 7 cameras instead of 12 or a million is a tradeoff between size and other technical factors. Though I get asked seven is not a magic number for 3D.

I’ve worked with lenticular images before because I used to design Halloween decorations. We made portraits that look like they turn into ghosts and fun stuff like that. Are these lenticular photographs like that? Will they make your subjects look like they’re in motion, or in 3-D?
Motion and 3D are both possibilities, but for this show most of the images will be 3D. I am toying with the prospect of making some of the photos both but that task is dependent on getting two sets of images in quick succession, with flash and good composition, and that has been an elusive task so far. The show that results from this project will be a combination of lenticular and anaglyph prints (anaglyph is the process that uses red/blue glasses) so if there is motion it will only be in the lenticular images.

How long have you been into photography? When did you get into lenticular?
Since college, but it has been supplemental to other artistic concerns. This is the first project I have done where the photo is the end result. I started out doing anaglyph stuff on the computer in 1995 and that has gradually been replaced by my obsession with lenticular in the last 5 years.

Were you a big fan of Detroit rock and roll before setting out on this project? Have you seen any bands that you haven’t listened to or had never seen before?
I knew this question would come up. In full disclosure I have always been a fan of classics like the MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges and saw lots of local Detroit/Flint bands in the mid 80′s but then I kind of dropped off the map. This project and a few friendships prior to it brought Detroit back into the picture for me. So when I started this project I felt like I had a lot of research to do. Fortunately because of Myspace and places like MCR it is easy to get a sense for what is happening and make a plan. Most of the bands that people hyped or sounded good online have lived up to expectations although I have shot at least one show that for consistency reasons I don’t think I will use. More recently I saw a new band I thought would make a great addition, and if they don’t break up by the time I am through I will probably add them to the list.

What made you decide, ‘I want to go out and capture Detroit rock and roll… in lenticular form’?
I finally had a portable lenticular camera rig capable of shooting motion and needed a subject. It was really the trial run for my camera, and the subject of Detroit bands in performance seemed intriguing. As the project has grown my interest in the subject has become more passionate and now I feel like an advocate and proclaimer of Detroit music. As far as I know this will be the first project of its kind. . . . a lenticular documentary of regional music, and as such I hope it will be another window into Detroit’s thriving music scene.

Do you have the equipment to print these yourself, or do you have to get them printed elsewhere?
I do all of the printing in my studio. It can be outsourced but to have creative control over the process, to see what the process is capable of and tweak things along the way, it is necessary to have your own equipment.

What kinds of problems have you run into during this project? Do people give you funny looks at shows?
There are creative and technical problems at nearly every show. First off all of the cameras are angled to converge at 12 feet. That means the nearest non-floating (usually don’t have to think about that one) object should be 12 feet away. A fist in the air ruins the shot every time. It also means I am limited in my choices for shots, no extreme close ups, and no objects too far away. The creative aspects require a gentle balance of factors. Weird radio interference has been my nemesis in several venues and has resulted in anything from flash failure to inconsistent firing of individual cameras. Were this an off the shelf product or if I was a little more nerdy in the area of electronics I could probably eliminate some of those errors, but that is the nature of the beast. As far as people approaching me at shows it is mostly out of curiosity. Everyone has been really cool, and I appreciate it, because I know that I am getting in some people’s way and seven LCD screens can be distracting.

How many bands have you shot so far? How many more do you have to go?
I have shot about 15 bands so far, 8 of which will be in the show (for technical and creative reasons). I would not have guessed it when I started but there are 24 bands on my list at this point, and I feel like I am just skimming the top. When the show debuts I am sure there will be questions about some of the bands I have chosen or those I have left out but I am not calling myself a music critic and don’t claim to represent anyone but myself. I think most of the bands people expect to see will be there but regardless what will be obvious is the power and vitality of Detroit music as a whole.

When can we see these photographs?
The debut of the Detroit show will be at CAID next summer. I will also be making the case for a 3D feature in some of the music mags but I have no idea where that will go. Beyond that the show will have a sort of gallery tour, across the US and beyond.

Are you working on any other projects?
The 3D photo thing is really a deviation from what I normally do, though it has been a good time and I can see doing more. The other work is more in the fine art realm, lenticular compositions with wrestlers, scientists, cowboys and other pop culture stuff. I am working on a 6×10′ lenticular mural for Art Basel in Miami at the moment that I am pretty excited about, it is in the Kaiju tradition of Japanese monster mayhem though the connection may be loose. And although they were supposed to come down early in the summer I think you can still see some of the billboards Glenn Barr and I did for 1800 Tequila floating around the city somewhere. It is a treat to see something you have made blown up to 43 feet. If you have the means I recommend it.