Semi-moving images

July 22, 2008 9:30 AM

Reaching: Joshua Heineman animates old photos from the NY Public Library collections.

It's fascinating to see a little depth added to these old images, although they might induce seizures for some.

posted by mattbucher (34 comments total)

I swear, the internet gets better everyday.
posted by marxchivist at 9:32 AM on July 22, 2008

I assume he's flipping between the right and left halves of stereoscope photos. Watching these gets painful after a while but some of them are genuinely wonderful.
posted by ardgedee at 9:37 AM on July 22, 2008

Nice images but I would say they look more 'shaken' than 'animated' *eye twitch*
posted by rokabiri at 9:37 AM on July 22, 2008

In the olden days, everything shook. But it was better that way. It kept people honest, and it's no coincidence at all that we'd never even heard of a drive-by shooting back then. Nosirree -- there was no time for that brand of tomfoolery when there were constant earthquakes to worry over.

Yessir, those were the days. My legs turn to Jell-o just remembering how sweet it all was.
posted by CheeseburgerBrown at 9:38 AM on July 22, 2008 [3 favorites]

Great idea. Adds just enough of the third dimension.
posted by fire&wings at 9:47 AM on July 22, 2008

"In the olden days, everything shook..."

...and get off my lawn!

But seriously, this is good stuff. Thx.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:51 AM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

Eeeeeaaaaarrrrrthq-q-q-quaaaaaake!
posted by cog_nate at 9:54 AM on July 22, 2008

It's amazing how well the depth comes through.
posted by DU at 9:55 AM on July 22, 2008

Yeah, he's using the two sides of stereographs. This one is great - "Hey you! Get out of the picture! Oh, heck; I'll use it anyway."
posted by yhbc at 10:00 AM on July 22, 2008

I don't know. I find these less interesting and animated, and mostly just annoying.
posted by Dave Faris at 10:03 AM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

Everybody Wang Chung tonight!
posted by kimota at 10:03 AM on July 22, 2008 [4 favorites]

Wabba wabba wabba wabba... these are fun!
posted by steef at 10:07 AM on July 22, 2008

That guy isn't intruding so much as too close. Also, the seems to have some unwanted vertical offset on that one. Maybe it was taken during a real earthquake.
posted by DU at 10:09 AM on July 22, 2008

I assume he's flipping between the right and left halves of stereoscope photos.

It does look like that, but I wonder if these pictures aren't false stereograms created out of single source photos paired with an artist's depth rendering.
posted by kid ichorous at 10:10 AM on July 22, 2008

Ah, thanks yhbc. Mystery solved.
posted by kid ichorous at 10:12 AM on July 22, 2008

Ummm okay, maybe I do need to cut down on my coffee consumption after all...
posted by miss lynnster at 10:13 AM on July 22, 2008

Neat idea but too painfully twitchy to watch for more than a couple of seconds.
posted by octothorpe at 10:15 AM on July 22, 2008

It's amazing how much depth these actually add. Awesome find.
posted by bookwo3107 at 10:19 AM on July 22, 2008

My eeeeeeyes! *Blurry vision* Interesting concept, but giving me a headache does not enhance these photos.
posted by Phalene at 10:28 AM on July 22, 2008

Is 'semi-moving' now the new definition of 'animated'?
posted by spicynuts at 10:33 AM on July 22, 2008

Is 'semi-moving' now the new definition of 'animated'?

Yes. Watch this space for more updates on how I use words.
posted by mattbucher at 10:42 AM on July 22, 2008

Now I better understand Parkinson's.
posted by Postroad at 10:58 AM on July 22, 2008

I've got a friend who's obsessed with making those wiggly things.
posted by juv3nal at 11:02 AM on July 22, 2008

Saw some of these on this page [click 'tile' or hit 'v' for best view] the other day. Thought they were cool, so I tried to simulate the effect via a poor man's stereoscope (two digital digital camera shots, one with the camera shifted slightly parallax). Put the two shots in an animated GIF. Turned out all right. But these are way cooler.
posted by Rykey at 11:02 AM on July 22, 2008

That's right, they were digital digital camera shots (I'm all 3.0, woo-hoo!)
posted by Rykey at 11:08 AM on July 22, 2008

I dunno--this is briefly interesting but I don't see what it does for us.
posted by LarryC at 11:34 AM on July 22, 2008

I can make the world do the same thing by rapidly winking one eye.
posted by spicynuts at 11:42 AM on July 22, 2008

I think some images intended for the too-much-caffeine thread got misplaced.
posted by Mike D at 12:14 PM on July 22, 2008

Like.....whoa, that gave me googly-eyes
places hand on wall to steady self
posted by wowbobwow at 12:28 PM on July 22, 2008

These are incredible glimpses into the past. I think the effect kinda makes us think of the pieces more than a flat image. The depth is an added bonus.
posted by damn dirty ape at 12:53 PM on July 22, 2008

I did something like this with front and back lit glass panels and timed strobes for an art installation. Someone actually threw up. Take that Hirst!
posted by I Foody at 2:27 PM on July 22, 2008

I think the 3D effect would work the same and would be less comical with a longer time interval between the image swaps.
posted by republican at 3:15 PM on July 22, 2008

I'm surprised no one has done that before.
posted by zzazazz at 4:02 PM on July 22, 2008

I'm coining a phrase for these right here and now: Convulsimation.
posted by strontiumdog at 8:17 PM on July 22, 2008