Words to Live By
Being a slightly rainy January afternoon, yesterday was a good opportunity to get better acquainted with my 105mm macro and with using a tripod in a macro setting. I shot several odds and ends at my parents’ place, but I was blessed to be able to schedule an impromptu photoshoot with Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. Optimus, in conjunction with Captain Picard, helped shape most of my worldview and moral code when I was a child. He has largely been in retirement for the last 15+ years, but he is always ready and willing when called upon, despite his unfortunately missing hands.
Given my usual lack of proper lighting and studio equipment, I went for an overexposed white look provided solely from window light. Optimus transformed and rolled out in front of a sheer white window curtain and I played with my exposures until they mostly came out as intended, although I had to bump it up more in post than anticipated.
Overall, it was a good exercise, but I still have a long way to go. I’ve had the 105mm since May, but I still feel very much like a n00b with it, and I’ve had such an aversion to tripods that I’m not really accustomed to working with them and setting up quickly and efficiently, let alone positioning for true macro subject matter. I practiced the Vanguard Alta Pro’s own transformation sequence using its vaunted MULTI ANGLE CENTRAL COLUMN mode, although I certainly fumbled a lot more transforming the tripod than I did transforming Optimus. The super duper shallow DOF at macro distances - particularly when not shooting flat to the subject matter, and exaggerated the closer one gets - is tough to deal with and takes some intuiting and experience. I am also finding creating cool macro photography is not as easy as just shoving the camera as close to a mundane object as possible. I tried doing a few “collections” shots (ex. heaps of buttons), which I’m usually a big fan of when I see other people do them well, but none of them turned out that great. POV/perspective is extremely important, as is lighting.
Typeface: Lovelo
Words to Live By
Being a slightly rainy January afternoon, yesterday was a good opportunity to get better acquainted with my 105mm macro and with using a tripod in a macro setting. I shot several odds and ends at my parents’ place, but I was blessed to be able to schedule an impromptu photoshoot with Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. Optimus, in conjunction with Captain Picard, helped shape most of my worldview and moral code when I was a child. He has largely been in retirement for the last 15+ years, but he is always ready and willing when called upon, despite his unfortunately missing hands.
Given my usual lack of proper lighting and studio equipment, I went for an overexposed white look provided solely from window light. Optimus transformed and rolled out in front of a sheer white window curtain and I played with my exposures until they mostly came out as intended, although I had to bump it up more in post than anticipated.
Overall, it was a good exercise, but I still have a long way to go. I’ve had the 105mm since May, but I still feel very much like a n00b with it, and I’ve had such an aversion to tripods that I’m not really accustomed to working with them and setting up quickly and efficiently, let alone positioning for true macro subject matter. I practiced the Vanguard Alta Pro’s own transformation sequence using its vaunted MULTI ANGLE CENTRAL COLUMN mode, although I certainly fumbled a lot more transforming the tripod than I did transforming Optimus. The super duper shallow DOF at macro distances - particularly when not shooting flat to the subject matter, and exaggerated the closer one gets - is tough to deal with and takes some intuiting and experience. I am also finding creating cool macro photography is not as easy as just shoving the camera as close to a mundane object as possible. I tried doing a few “collections” shots (ex. heaps of buttons), which I’m usually a big fan of when I see other people do them well, but none of them turned out that great. POV/perspective is extremely important, as is lighting.
Typeface: Lovelo