E. Dominic Wood: The Art of Technology
The word “photography” is derived from the greek words photos meaning
light and graphein meaning to draw.
From the birth of modern photography back in the mid 19th century,
the photograph was an intricate combination of art and the technology
of the camera and development process .As we move through the 21st
century the technological aspect becomes ever more sophisticated and
complex.

Chicago-born E. Dominic Wood picked up his first Kodak camera back in
1957 at the age of thirteen and for the next twelve months pho...

E. Dominic Wood: The Art of Technology
The word “photography” is derived from the greek words photos meaning
light and graphein meaning to draw.
From the birth of modern photography back in the mid 19th century,
the photograph was an intricate combination of art and the technology
of the camera and development process .As we move through the 21st
century the technological aspect becomes ever more sophisticated and
complex.

Chicago-born E. Dominic Wood picked up his first Kodak camera back in
1957 at the age of thirteen and for the next twelve months photography
became his passion. However on his fourteenth birthday the camera was
replaced by a guitar and for the next few years Wood focused on his
music. At the age of eighteen Wood and his group The Galaxys were
hired by DJ James Lownsbury to play their television debut on ABC TV.

Deciding that music production, rather than performance, was the way
to make some serious money, Wood made the move to Newport Beach
California. Working with a string of famous musicians including the
legendary Stevie Wonder and Donna Summer Wood began to make his mark.
Although he was experiencing success however, the music industry was
not really to Wood’s taste. He felt he lacked the creative control
that he craved, and so he decided to pick up his camera and channel
his creativity through photography once again.

He started shooting runway for D2 Models and New York models, as well
as working freelance for Playboy, Club, Pub and Cavalier glamour
magazines throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. He met his wife Pam, a
successful actress in her own right whilst on a photo shoot in
California but the Chicago boy was starting to feel homesick and
decided to return to the Windy City to continue his photographic work.

Photographic technology was moving rapidly throughout the latter half
of the 20th century and Wood became fascinated with computing in the
early 1990’s and looked for ways to combine this with his love of
photography and beautiful woman. It has been a long and sometimes
trying process. Wood states:

“"When you start in Computing imaging, your first 5,000 images are your worst.”



In the first decade of the 21st century 3D cinema and photography
began to experience a renaissance. In real life, we view the world in
three dimensions because our left and right eyes see slightly
different images. When these two images are combined by the brain, we
receive a picture that has depth. Photographers and cinematographers
have been trying to replicate this effect as far back as 1838. Using a
technique known as stereoscopic photography, a special motion picture
camera system was employed to record images from two different
perspectives. Eyewear, or special 3D glasses are then worn to combine
these perspectives and create the illusion of depth. Early filmmakers
Auguste and Louis Lumiere caused mayhem when they presented the first
3D film called L'Arrivee du train in 1903. Parisian audiences were
thrilled and alarmed as a locomotive appeared to crash into their
seats.

3D films enjoyed immense popularity in the 1950’s and 60’s, but it was
the invention of the IMAX 3D format, first seen at the 1986 World's
Fair in Vancouver, Canada that really started the 3D revolution. In
the early 21st century, the advent of animation technology and digital
cameras helped to make 3D technology more widely accessible. Since
then there have been huge developments and interest in 3D, with
increasing numbers of film-makers opting to make 3D movies and the
introduction of 3D television in the last 5 years.

The 2009 James Cameron film Avatar used a successful combination of 3D
technology and computer-generated imagery (CGI). In addition the cast
wore motion capture suits, which essentially are tight fitting suits
fitted with sensors which relay the actors movements to computers
which record every twitch. Motion capture makes 3D much easier. It
allows film-m