More macro-on-the-cheap

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So, more shots from by BlackBerry 9790 + a cheap plastic lens busted out from a disposable camera.  Lots of trial and error (mostly error).  Recalling how well the green die turned out last time, luminescent and all, I poked around Dave’s museum and found a really awesome set of ancient marbles and a giant hunk of amethyst-encrusted rock (respect to the Imaginarium of Dr. Bromonculus).  We set the marbles up on the rock and I was trying to light them from the sides with my freakishly-bright home-brew LED rig, but then Dave pulled out this LED penlight from the toolbox and put it behind the marble.  A ha!  Then I suggested making a snoot out of electrician’s tape to get a narrower beam, and then we were cookin’.

 

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My buddy Brian, a photog himself, asked me today why I was shooting with the smartphone and not with the DSLR.  Then he answered the question: challenge!  And challenge was abounding.  Once we figured out the lighting, I had to shoot a transparent object, in the dark, with a taped-on lens that had to be focused by moving the phone nearer and farther from the marble.

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There are 3 things I’ve got to look into to make this more feasible on the smartphone, but I need to talk to the camera team and get them implemented in the product before I tell you what they are.

This pic above is actually kryptonite: Dave told me he was feeling weak… which I think had more to do with the fact that he wrestled an aerator over 10 acres all day.

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Happy to catch the reflection here.

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Tried lighting up the amethyst itself here, sans marble.

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Kind of tricky to catch the orange and yellow from marble #2 through marble #1.  Focus took a backseat here.

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Love this gold.  And super-chunky too.

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Just ordered a cheap reversing ring for my camera so I can flip around my 50mm prime lens and see how that works for macro-on-the-slightly-less-cheap.  That will take about 5 weeks to get here, so in the meantime, does anyone have a Nikon-mount macro lens they will loan me for a weekend?

Happy making,
DW

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3 Responses to More macro-on-the-cheap

  1. Dan says:

    Pretty sure I have seen most of these shots before … on many Star Trek episodes!
    Very cool.

  2. Von says:

    We have a macro lens, DW- but you will have to borrow the camera too.

    Ping me if you want!

    ..v

  3. M & D IN THE POINT says:

    Darin…

    Absolutely amazing results from your trial and error (mostly trial) endeavours!

    Keep up the great work… you are certainly capturing some beautiful images!

    We enjoy reading your blog… honest!!

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