There's just something about displaying a good color photograph on a high quality monitor which I find extemely pleasing. The lighting, the interplay of millions of colors are something I never tire of. There is another way to indulge that pleasure, though, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with photography. All the elements I value are there, but the images are totally generated by the computer. My second son, Scot, is a wizard at generating them, using software named Fractaland which he has written. It uses special mathematical formulae, running in a loop to reach a solution an infinite number of times. Each time a solution is reached, a spot of color is laid down. Each solution then becomes a variable for the next iteration. The variables can be changed in a completely unrestrained way, and the images vary with the beginning parameters. The images are called fractals, and the mathematical theory behind them is rapidly becoming quite widespread in applications in the scientific world. That's all beyond me, but I am endlessly fascinated by the images. I hope you will be, too.

If you would like some detailed information about fractals, you'll find more than most of us need at my son's site. Check out "About Fractals" and the "Fractal FAQ".

In order to view these images to best advantage, your monitor should be set to a higher resolutiion, at least thousands of colors. The images are large, so if you are in a hurry, today, come back tomorrow.

Use the links, then the 'back' function of your web browser to return for the next image. Enjoy.

Copyright © 2001 B. E. Spencer and G. S. Spencer. All rights reserved.