Do you remember those old Viewmaster reels from back in the day? I remember throwing one of those little cardboard slide discs into my bright orange viewer (I had a fancy one with a lightbulb) and seeing all the amazing images come to life in 3D.

I distinctly remember the Niagara Falls reels. The photos were from the 1950s and 1960s, but had been reproduced well into the 2000s. Being able to see what my home looked like back then was incredible as a kid, and still wonderfully nostalgic as an adult.

I also remember having books with those red/cyan glasses, where the pages would pop out at you. There’s something delightful about that simple technology. Of course I own a stereoscope with old cards of the region, but those are cumbersome. VR is all the rage now, but there’s still something to be said about the simplicity of putting on those multicolored glasses and watching the photos in front of you pop out!

Well, it just so happens that I own a 3D camera. I got it as a gift as a teenager, but never really used it to its full advantage. I decided to pull it out of storage on my latest trip to Niagara Falls State Park, and try and capture some of the magic in the air.

Please note that you will need anaglyph 3D (red/cyan) glasses in order to view the images below. If you don’t have any floating around (probably from a copy of Spy Kids 3D) I would recommend Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/anaglyph-glasses/s?k=anaglyph+glasses (I cannot vouch for the quality of any of these glasses: I am leaving the link as a starting point for those of you interested in anaglyph viewing).

Some of my favorite shots within this gallery were taken in a brief 10-minute window around 3:30pm on November 24, 2023. While the entire day was overcast with light snow flurries, the sky opened up into an absolutely immaculate glow that made the Falls appear otherworldly.

I genuinely hope you enjoyed this modern 3D look at Niagara Falls. Tomorrow, we’ll be taking another 3D tour of my favorite holiday tradition: Jingle Falls!

-Sheepie ❤