NIMSLO shots, 2021 edition

Long-time readers of my blog know that I will NEVER give up on a project. If I have an idea or a concept, I will try this concept over and over again until I get it right.

Case in point. Years ago, I purchased a four-lensed NIMSLO plastic camera. Back when the NIMSLO (and its sister camera, the Nishika) were produced, way back in 1990, they were designed so that photographers could capture three-dimensional images. The film could be sent to a special processing lab, and the customer would receive lenticular prints. But the concept flopped miserably, the prints were too expensive, and the NIMSLO and Nishika manufacturing went bankrupt shortly afterwards.

But NIMSLO cameras can still take four images at once, and if you can find a lenticular pro lab that’s capable of printing these up, you can still produce something special.

In the past, I’ve used the NIMSLO for lenticular photos like Lauren and the Leaves and Roses and Vichy, and although those images are quite stunning, they never produced any awards or silk.

I should note, however, that I do not give up easily. You should know that about me by now.

Last week, I packed a few rolls of Kodak Pro 100 film into the NIMSLO, and went out for a little photo excursion. A few shots at the Jericho Drive-In, some photos at a local marsh, and some cascading stream photos. Just a little something to whet my whistle.

So here’s an example of an unretouched NIMSLO shot.

There’s a red dot on the far-right image. That was for the lenticular processor to be able to line up the four images to make the lenticular print. Today, however, it allows the photographer to correctly determine the photo orientation, and to not accidentally flip the image backwards. Yeah, it can happen.

So a little processing, a little cropping, and I get this.

Next shot I tried was a photo of some geese and goslings. Nothing major, I just got as close as I could … and snap.

Yeah. Looks much better when you have grass in the foreground and in the rear, and the pivot point is on the goose’s neck feathers.

Shot one more, this time with a goose and several goslings. No, I don’t believe any of them were named Ryan, but thanks for asking.

A few notes. I gotta mind the dust on the scanner. Dust and hairs show up on these scans like Mets fans at a Yankees game. But since these are just experimental shots, I’ll work with what I have.

One more, this time of a stream in Warrensburg. I think I was too far away from the stream to really get that three-dimensional look, but at least I know now what the distances are for future shooting.

Notes taken. I have an idea for a future NIMSLO photo shoot this weekend, so let’s see if things work out for me.

I mean, I know I’m taking a chance with what is essentially an orphaned toy camera. But even with the chances, it’s better than just sitting on my fat tuchus and not doing anything, right?