by successfulbob | Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, macro, photography
Getting in close can really change how you can see the world…
But, purpose built macro lenses can get pretty pricey and with the new micro 4/3rds systems still growing it’s selection of lenses I was looking for a way to get in close without breaking the bank. Enter extension tubes. If you use them it allows you to convert any of your lenses to give you a whole new look. There is obviously the traditional extension tube manufaturing company Kenko that run around 180 bucks. I found a similar economy version made by a company called Vello. And they even call it Econo AF Extension Tubes. Since the Econo tubes were only $49.95 I’d thought I’d give them a whirl. Happy to report they work just fine. And, a bonus is that the auto-focus works just fine. With the Lumix GX7 having the view of the image on the screen and being able to set the point of focus exactly where you want it to be.
The kit contains a 10mm and 16mm tubes. You can use them alone or you can stack them for a 26mm extension. Ideally you want to be on a tripod when using extension tubes but if you are really steady and have the camera set at a fast enough shutter speed you can get away with hand holding as I have done here because I was on a trip and left the tripod at home.
Without just a little info you won’t be excited about this photo. The wasp is smaller than the tip of my little finger and the flowers are about the size of the last joint on my little finger.
Captured with the Lumix GX7 and the 35-100 mm f2.8 Vario Lens at 100mm with, I believe, 26mm of extension tubes attached. ISO 400 – f8 at 1/60th sec. Note that the lens was at it’s longest setting in order for the tubes to focus properly. You can’t zoom throughout the entire range on a zoom lens.
I’ll revisit this idea in some future posts as I really like the different perspective you achieve by getting in close. As always if you have any question don’t hesitate to ask or drop a comment on the page.
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | art books, photography, photography - art quote, photography books, photography education, success education
Always looking for inspiration outside of photography to help with the creative side… And today let’s take a walk far, far away from the photographer’s world and into getting the brain to fire on all cylinders for some creativity.
“Only that day dawns to which we are awake.” Henry David Thoreau, in Walden
Have you ever driven somewhere and wondered how you got there??
Do you enjoy the cascade of water flowing over you during your shower? Do you even feel it?
What was the last really good meal you had? Were you actually there for it and can remember it? In detail?
Do you really look at yourself in the mirror or are you so busy doing whatever it is you are doing you don’t really see?
“What the hell does this have to do with creativity Bob??” You ask.
Here what I believe. We are so busy living in the past or the future that there is no way to truly harness our brains for as much creativity as possible. By that I mean we spend way too much time fretting over something in the past like an angry conversation that keeps playing over and over in our head. Or, we are constantly worried about the possibility of something that might go wrong in the future. Or, trying so hard to get to that ‘successful’ place that will make us finally make us happy – you know, having more money, or being able to travel to that magical destination, or finding a new partner… Pick that thing that’s always in the future that we KNOW will make us happy, rather than being happy now.
If we enjoy THIS moment – RIGHT NOW – and live in this moment as much as possible we open up our brains to concentrate on what we are working on with no distractions from the past or future will allow us to be open to new ideas and creative combinations.
The job of the brain is to create thoughts. LOTS of thoughts. Many of these thoughts can take us away from where we might want to be at any one moment. It is also responsible for doing many things automatically to keep us alive like breathing, our heart beating, muscles moving so we can walk and move. The problem comes when we are so busy allowing our brain to do so many things automatically we don’t control our thoughts and allow our them to control us our life can pass by in a flurry and we have not had a chance to enjoy it – or be as creative as we might be.
How do you gain back control? Meditation is a great way to find out how the brain is working to our detriment. “Wait a minute Bob, I’m not going to sit in a corner looking at my navel!” I don’t suggest that by any means. What I do suggest is learning how to “be in the moment”. Learn a practice called Mindfulness.
I’m still workng on it myself but finding it to be extremely helpful and this is a great place to start. A book called Whereever You Go There you Are, – by Jon Kabat-Zinn Give it read. (I’ve given you a link to the Kindle version as the hard copy is currently out of stock) Try some of his suggestions and let me know how it’s been a help to you. It’s under ten bucks and a little bit of your time. I think you will be extremely surprised… in your everyday life as well as your creative life.
Your in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | architectural photography, Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education, photoshop tutorial
Speaking of Austin, Texas…
Wandered around downtown for a bit. Spent a little time in and around the capitol building. Lots of stunningly beautiful architectural detail. Could probably spend a day or two photographing and still want to come back for more, but I share a couple I was able to snag while there…
Silhouette of the salute to the Terry Rangers. There’s a couple quotes attached of which here’s one, “There’s no danger of surprise when the Rangers are between us and the enemy.”
I think the silhouette of the statue in front of the capitol dome tells more of the story of the place and has more depth than a straight shot of the dome. No my camera sensor is not dirty… Lights attract bugs. Bugs attract bats which is what you see in the sky above the dome.
Texas State capitol building and entry walk in Austin.
The wide view of the capitol building was made combining two exposures out of a 5 exposure sequence made with the Panasonic Lumix GX7. Each image was processed in Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) using the highlight and shadow sliders along with exposure and saturation. Even though the two images were made within milliseconds of each other when I placed one on top of the other there was a tiny registration problem. This can happen even when you have the camera mounted on the tripod so I use the technique below whenever I stack images for blending. Photoshop to the rescue!
Here’s how.
Turn the bottom layer from background layer into Layer Zero. Highlight both layers in the Layers Palette. Under the Edit menu select – Auto Align Layers. Make sure Auto Align is selected in the projection. I leave Vingette Removal and Geometric Distortion unchecked. Depending on the image and lens used you might want to remove Vingette. Click OK. In seconds the layers are perfectly aligned.
Next a mask is added to the top layer and painting with a brush and black chosen as the color allow any parts ot the image below to show through until the blending is to your satisfaction. You might want to save out the file at this point and continue any additional work on a copy of the file. If there was an error made in the masking the mask will still be available for adjustments instead of starting over from scratch.
Tomorrow we’ll go inside the capitol building for a couple photos….
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photographers health, photography, photography education, success education
Thanks for checking these posts about our health working as photographers. Let me remind you I am not advocating that you follow blindly anything I share here. These are ideas and programs that are working for me. I have found most of these to also be regular problems for other photographers too. Consult with a physician or do your own research before embarking on any ideas shared here in this or other Photographers Health posts.
I reiterate – I am not a medical professional. I don’t play one on TV. I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night…
Photographers Health – Computers Part 2
Once the work station is properly set up we need to work on our habits while sitting in front of our machines. Regular breaks are a necessary part of good work health. But, you say, “Bob, I take breaks all the time!” I’ll bet you don’t take near as many or effective breaks as you think you are. If you are anything like me you can get lost in a project and hours can pass in what seems like a moment. That’s a good thing. Concentration is great. It’s also a bad thing as we have not moved our bodies properly for a long period of time.
OK. Time for a little experiment with time.
Download a Countdown Timer. Here are five available for Windows OS’s that are free. I use the Apimac timer freeware version on my MAC machine. You need OS 10.6 and an Intel chipped computer for this software. There is also a pro version for under twenty bucks that will also turn your computer on and off schedule down and other stuff too.
Apimac Software Timer for Mac
Now that you’ve found and installed your timer set it to countdown for thirty minutes repeatedly for all the time you are at your computer. Most timers have a way to pause or restart the timer as necessary. What you will find is constant surprise that, “It’s been 30 minutes already?” Yep it will!
OK now how do we make this work for us? Every time the timer goes off do one to three minutes of stretching and or exercise. I mix mine up throughout the day. I’ll do a minute of jumping jacks with 30-60 seconds of stretching shoulders. On the next thirty minute cycle maybe do 5-10 push-ups and stretch wrists and elbows. On the next cycle get up and walk around while reaching behind and stretching chest muscles. I try to mix a little aerobic movement with some stretching while changing it up throughout the day. This gets the blood flowing and saves you from the dreaded RSI! Physiotherapists have a name for what happens when you don’t get off your butt and do this stuff. Repeatetive Stress Injury. If you are already experiencing pain see a Physician or Physical Therapist for a set of specialized exercises to get your body back on track. Then use the timer. You’ll be amazed how much better you feel at the end of the work day.
Ideally You’ll be looking to work up to thirty minutes a day of the exercise, walking and stretching. Keep some notes and see how you do. You’d be surprised how fast it starts to add up.
What else?
If you spend time on the phone while you work make sure you get a hands free head set to keep you from sticking the phone in the crook of shoulder and neck. That will keep you from crinking (yes that’s my word) up your neck.
As mentioned in a previous Photographers Health post here on Successful-Photographer use a Pen Tool with a Tablet vs a Mouse for making your selections and navigating around the screen. At the very least if you still are using a mouse make sure it’s a good quality mouse that requires minimal pressure to click, and be sure to position it on the same level and as close to the keyboard as possible. Keep your wrist straight and move the mouse with whole arm movements where possible.
What else?
Get the proper eye wear for your eyes and your body’s health
Don’t be a squinter! If you have any problem viewing the screen break down and get those glasses! See your optometrist for the best results instead of getting cheaters at the drug store. It can make a huge difference. Before you go in for your eye appointment measure the distance to the screen from where your eyes are regularly. Your prescription can be tailored exactly for that distance. Ask for UV protection on the lenses. You might even want to have a pair of glasses fine tuned just for the computer and another pair for the rest of your life. You may especially want to do that if you wear bifocals or trifocals because there’s a tendency to hold your head in a strange position to use the proper section for seeing the screen. Or you bend toward the screen in order to see it clearly. These postures can result in muscle spasms or pain in the neck, shoulder or back. To prevent eyestrain, try to rest your eyes when using the computer for long periods. Rest your eyes for 15 minutes after two hours of continuous computer use. Also, for every 20 minutes of computer viewing, look into the distance for 20 seconds to allow your eyes a chance to refocus. To minimize chances of developing dry eye when using a computer, make an effort to blink frequently. Blinking keeps the front surface of your eye moist.
Back to the equipment – you should have a shield around your monitor to ensure there is no glare on the surface which can adversely affect your eyes causing strain.
I hope the Photographers Health posts this week have been helpful for you. Other ideas? Jump in and comment!
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | commercial photography, Lumix GH3, Lumix Lounge, people photography, photography
Fun shoot!
The Arizona Roller derby girls came to the the Arizona Professional Photographers Association meeting to add a little color for the photographers to shoot. A studio area for attendees to shoot during the convention was set up. The Roller Derby ladies got images to use for their promotion and the photographers got great animated models to put in front of their lenses.
Originally it was scheduled that the derby girls were going to have individual head shots for their promos but I wanted to take it a step further an see what kind of action we could put together. I think we got some ‘Bigger than Life’ images for them to use to promote their sport as well as some individual head shots… Wanna become an AZ Derby Skater? get more info.
Anita Alibi Poses for a head shot.
Ducky Norris enjoys the spotlight.
Simulated action is when the fun begins… These girls know how to put on a show!
More showtime from the derby girls.
Teammates!
It was a pleasure working with the AZ Roller Derby Team. They were really ready to put on a show and I’m certain that translates into great theater and sport in their matches! I’d love to do a full-on marketing shoot with the team!
What are you doing to stretch your education and practice of photography???
Wanna become an AZPPA Member? Get more Info
Yours in Photography, Bob
