Photographer Markus Hofstaetter just completed an ambitious project in which he spent 6 months working to shoot stereo 3D photos on large format wet plates.

After seeing a 3D photo exhibition in Vienna and reading a book about the subject, Hofstaetter became obsessed with the idea of creating stereo 3D photos with wet plate photography.

Hofstaetter started by obtaining a second Petzval lens and then building a lens plate for a self-modified camera. He then had to build a shutter for the two lenses that would be triggered at the same time.



Once his modded camera was complete, Hofstaetter started shooting various subjects in 3D, including a wet plate camera, flowers, and a person. Some of the exposures (e.g. the flower shots and the portrait) were lit using 10,000 watts of strobe power, which allowed him to be “more creative,” Hofstaetter says.













Here are some of the wet plates and 3D photos that resulted (you’ll need red/cyan 3D glasses to view the anaglyphs):





















Here’s a 26-minute video in which Hofstaetter walks through how he did this project:


You can find more of Hofstaetter’s work on his website and blog.