Unique holography portrait store opens on Main Street

This story was published in the St. Charles County Business Record on Wednesday, March 27, 2002.

By Amy Armour, Special Correspondent

If you’re window shopping on North Main Street in St. Charles, you may think your eyes are playing tricks on you.

At the corner of Main and Monroe Street, you may think you see Missouri state Rep. Chuck Gross staring at you. Bit it’s not really Gross; rather it’s a 16x20-inch holograph of Gross that is displayed in the window of Holographs on Main, a new holography business.

Allen Fox, owner of Holographs on Main, opened for business on March 13 at 300 N. Main Street. Holographs on Main is one of only three holography portrait companies in the country.

As a St. Charles resident, Main Street was an obvious location for Fox to start his new business.

“I live in St. Charles, and everyone from St. Louis generally knows where Historic Main Street is located,” Fox said. “There’s a good mix of locals and out-of-area customers that visit Main Street. And the atmosphere on Main Street is very relaxed.”

According to the Web site www.holoworld.com, holograms contain information about the size, shape, brightness and contrast of the object being recorded, compared to a photograph, which has an actual physical image. Hologram information is stored in a microscopic, complex pattern of interference, and the light reflected by a three-dimensional object forms an intricate three-dimensional pattern.

When light is shined on the hologram, the information that is stored as an interference pattern takes the incoming light and re-creates the original optical “wave-front” that was reflected off the object. The brain now perceives that object as being in front of the viewer once again.

From the first time he saw a hologram on display in a Chicago museum, Fox has been entranced by how the hologram worked. With a strong education in math and science, he knew he wanted to learn more. Only three schools in the country offer a program in optical engineering, and he decided to attend the University of Rochester.

After graduating from the University of Rochester with a bachelor’s degree in optical engineering, Fox started his career at McDonnell Douglas, now The Boeing Company. Fox has been with Boeing for the last fifteen years, and he continues to work there on Mondays and Tuesdays. At Boeing, Fox works with lasers, cameras, night-vision telescopes, and satellite laser communication.

Fox has always been interested in holograph portraits, but the technology was too expensive to obtain. But recently, the holocamera, an all inclusive holography machine, was released. The holocamera cut the cost of producing holograph portraits by a third, Fox said, “Which means I can offer clients the holograph at a third of the price, too.”

The cost of a holograph portrait ranges from $300 to $745 dollars, depending on the size of the holograph and the number of subjects in the holograph. The most common package, a one-subject, 12-by-16-inch holograph, costs $495.

“It’s in the same price range of a really nice portrait,” Fox said.

Fox said that holographs are limited to three of four subjects because additional subjects cause confusion in the portrait.

Prior to having your holograph taken, Fox sits down with the client to meticulously prepare for the shot. Since the holograph records minute details and touch ups are not possible with the current technology, Fox will make sure every hair is in place.

“There are similarities to a photography studio, but at the same time it’s totally different,” Fox said.

Unlike a photo studio, clients do not get several poses and shots because the cost is too great. However, if a customer is unhappy with the shot or their eyes are closed, Fox will take another shot with no extra charge.

Here is how the process works: A laser light, which is completely harmless, bounces off of the client onto a holograph plate, and the information is recorded in the holocamera. Once the image is captured, it takes Fox an hour to create a master holograph and an additional hour to develop it in the lab. He then proofs the master with the client. Once the client approves, it takes a few hours to copy the master holograph for the client to take home.

Weddings and graduations will be the first target market for Fox.

“A holograph won’t replace photographs at a wedding, but it certainly can be a supplement,” Fox said, “And it’s preserved forever or at least 200 years.”

However, the large, 6-foot holograph camera is not portable, so the holograph will have to be taken before or after the wedding at his studio.

Future plans for Fox also include working in the commercial industry with trade show designers, art museums and science centers. Fox also hinted that he will be taking a holograph of a local celebrity to be displayed in his restaurant in the near future.