119: Hungry Snail

Fancy munching on a weed? You're welcome to it, snail. But touch something that I planted on purpose, and you go for a compulsory flying lesson.

But I do not advocate cruelty to animals! I see it simply as a matter of protecting my investment;

Settings: f/5.6, 1/60, ISO 400, 50mm Cosinon M42, 9mm extension, EOS D30.

118: Rice Made Crunchy

Settings: f/8, 1/180, ISO 100, 50mm M42, 1/4 flash, white card, foil reflector, tripod.

117: Spooky Street Lamp

Settings: f/2.8, 1/50, ISO 400, 28mm M42, EOS D30.

116: Cells and Veins

I'm not going to try and estimate the level of magnification in this shot; it's almost microscopic. A reversed wideangle coupled with a set of bellows makes it possible, is not very easy, to capture some really tiny detail. The individual cells of this clematis leaf are clearly visible, though still very small and rather indistinct.

What's not so good is the significant softness of the image, even when stopped down to a supposedly near-optimum aperture. But that goes with the unconventional use of the lens - not how it was designed for.

Settings: f/6.7, 1/2, ISO 100, reversed Tamron 24mm with 55-52 and 52-PK adapters, macro bellows, 1/4 flash fired behind leaf, tripod.

115: Sunset Raindrops

Settings: f/4, 1/160, ISO 200, 135mm M42, 10mm extension

114: Candle Smoke

Settings: f/5.6, 1/2, ISO 100, 50mm Cosinon M42, 17mm extension, 1/4 flash.

113: Fungus Anonymous

Settings: f/6.7, 1/180, ISO 100, 50mm Cosinon M42, 27mm extension, 1/4 flash, foil reflector, white card, tripod.

112: Real Bullets, Fake Blood

Err...
I wouldn't say that this picture was difficult to shoot, just that it was not easy to look at afterwards. I admit it's a pretty shocking picture, and I did consider not posting it for a while.
But then I thought why not; it's not real blood, nobody got hurt. So get over it. It's more a visual effects concept than anything else.

The recipe for this edible fake blood is mostly made good with red food colouring and cocoa powder. If you like it thicker, then cook it with a little cornflour. Soy sauce and golden syrup are also interesting additives. Though it could really do with having less of a powder-pink tinge when it dries; must work on this.
But man, this stuff really stains the fingertips! (They're still beetroot-pink as I type this.)

Settings: f/8, 1/180, ISO 100, P-FA 50mm, 1/4 flash, mirror, white reflectors, tripod. Some retouching of the white in Photoshop.

111: Mushroom Double

Upon my egg box of corn salad seedlings sprouts a stand of tiny mushrooms. Too curious not to record in an image today, they await an identification which may never happen.
They're certainly pretty close up, resembling a group of very flat jellyfish-like creatures.

Settings: f/8, 1/180, ISO 100, 50mm Cosinon M42, 17mm extension, 1/4 flash, foil reflector, tripod.

Is 111 a lucky number? Today I recieved a new (old, second hand) DSLR, a Canon EOS D30. I had no illusions about its image quality compared to the K10D, but it's ideal for shooting animation with. Why?
1. They're very cheap!
2. I don't have to wear out my K10D on animation now.
3. It has a DC adapter with its battery charger, an otherwise expensive extra, but essential. Plus, it works with the 10D, 20D etc.
4. The 2168x1440 resolution (small, but still plenty of room for cropping to full 1080p HD.) Also, the small option (1440x960) can be used for 720p.

I shot the same scene on the D30 with the same lens and flash setup, but the framing is different, due to a slight move to get it into minimum focus (because of the lack of 1mm extension by PK adapter) and the different crop factor (1.6x as opposed to 1.52x)
However, it took a while to get the manual flash working, as I didn't realise I needed to tape over the four extra hotshoe contacts - as with the K10D. Consequently, the mushrooms, having grown in a plastic bag and around 100% humidity, had already started to shrivel in the dry air. But no matter, it's also interesting for that reason.

Settings: as before, except 1/200 and 16mm extension.

110: Moth Pupa

I found this pupa earlier today, while sifting through some earth in the garden. I've been unable to make a positive identification yet, but I reckon it may be a Cabbage Moth. I have chosen to keep it warm in a jar indoors and see if this is correct.
It is definitely alive, as when I shifted its position on the glass, the pointed end started to squirm around! This was a little creepy at first, but I got used to it quickly.

Also today, I took the opportunity to use my macro bellows on this subject, and I am pleased with the results. I really should have broken them out sooner - as I can get very much better focus control with them, not to mention a superior, and finely variable extension range. These old BPM brand bellows have PK mounts (interchangeable,) so I can also use my FA 50 1.4 for macro at last. I may even try others, such as the DA 18-55 AL.

Today's photo is another right-first time shot, and straight from the camera, too. I took some other photos of the whole pupa, but those didn't look as good as this half view. At least I have the whole views for future reference.

Settings: f/11, 1/2, ISO 100, P-FA 50mm, 1/4 flash, 130mm bellows, white paper under glass, tripod.

109: Jasmine Tea & Spoon

Upon opening a packet of loose tea, I looked very closely and saw the interesting variance of the shapes of the scrunched-up tea leaf fragments.
All I did for this was get the teaspoon set at the angle I wanted and sprinkled some tea over it. I didn't re-arrange the tea, it's just as it fell.
It's very much a product-style shot, but I don't mind that; I just consider it as trying out doing some product photography. My basic aim of capturing the shape and details of dry tea leaves was fulfilled; the setting also puts them in the context of their use.

Settings: f/6.7, 1/180, ISO 100, 50mm Cosinon M42, 10mm extension ,glass, white & foil reflectors, tripod.

108: Tulip Tip

There were other, red, tulip flowerheads that had already emerged in the pot - but I considered this smaller, immature specimen to be more photogenic at the time.
In particular I like tapered shape and the pinkish tip, which makes it resemble a hand with three fingers pinched at the end.

Settings: f/4, 1/250, ISO 200, 50mm Cosinon M42, 57mm extension, tripod.

107: Muddy Stones

This pile of muddy stones in the garden was nothing special, but I felt it was a good subject to play around with in post-processing. It had plenty of detail and not much colour, so I reckoned it best to make it black & white and give it an S-shaped luminance curve to bring out the texture.
I had a busy weekend of film shoots and meetings away from home, so not much time to take photos and post them. This one was taken one day late [and posted two days late,] but sequentially it's in order.

Settings: f/5, 1/800, ISO 100, P-FA 50mm.
Alterations: monochrome, cropping, sharpening & luminance curves.

106: Grape Hyacinth

Muscari botryoides, or the common Grape Hyacinth - in very close-up detail. The camera was pointed right downwards on the flowerhead, almost touching it due to the extreme close focus. I found it difficult to get the flash to illuminate adequately the areas I wanted, but I got an okay result - "different," you could call it.
Another reason to find myself one of those offboard flash hotshoe boxes that have a PC socket; I have the other bits I need.

Settings: f/11, 1/180, ISO 200, 50mm Cosinon M42, 88mm extension, full flash, foil reflector, tripod.

105: Popcorn Powerslide

Rather strange, this one.
It looks to me like both a powersliding figure and Dr. Zoidberg's head.
Also, the background was white, but I turned down the RAW exposure to get a better balanced image.

Settings: ~f/9, 1/180, ISO 100, 58mm Helios-44-2, 20mm extension, 1/4 flash, white & foil reflectors, glass, tripod.

An update on Friday's ladybirds: I saw a group of sparrows swarming over the tiny tree that the beetles cluster(ed) on, quite obviously pecking them off. I had to step outside so they'd fly off in an attempt to save a few; I did see one later on. Bloody sparrows! And I thought the starlings were the cheeky ones. I'm hoping the ladybirds may bounce back with their larvae...

104: Nasturtiums & Halos

I glanced at these well-grown nasturtium seedlings on the kitchen windowsill and noticed the fascinating pattern of shapes they cast.
I've chosen to use my mirror lens again today because I'm getting to love the weird out-of-focus highlight rings. To accentuate the effect here, I sprayed a fine mist of water onto the window behind the plants, as the background looked decidedly lacklustre without it.

Plus, yet again another one-take wonder! Maybe I'm economising on the shutter actuations because of my ~500 frame animation blowout from a few weeks ago. I should hopefully be getting another [old & cheap] DSLR to animate with. I'm quite excited about the prospect of it...

Settings: f/8, 1/30, ISO 200, 500mm Tamron SP mirror lens, tripod.

103: Steel & Holes

This is a detail of a folding steamer; in my view bearing a slight resemblance to the blades of a jet turbine.
There was a hint of green peculiarity going on with the white balance (I used both flash in front and a "daylight" flourescent lamp behind,) so I had a good mess around with it, adjusting the luminance curve and pulling all the colour out. I like the image much more now.

Settings: f/11, 1/60, ISO 200, 50mm Cosinon M42,19mm extension, tripod, 1/4 flash, table lamp, white reflectors.
It's turned out surprisingly grainy for ISO 200, but then again I did tweak the contrast quite a bit, and it's from a K10D, so a fair degree of noise is a fact of life. It is quite a film-grainy noise though, so I quite like it nonetheless.

102: Soft Light Rings

Spooky effects from a hanging lampshade and a mirror lens. It rather looks like evening light seen through a bushy canopy.
Deliberately out of focus, of course. I didn't even try, as when the lampshade came into focus the whole image detracted from the effect I liked shown here.

Settings: f/8, 1/160, ISO 200, 500mm Tamron SP mirror lens, 50mm extension, tripod.

101: Wood Shrooms

What mushrooms are these? I thought they might be sulphur tufts, but I'm not sure.
I didn't expect to see any mushrooms now, what with it being spring. They're mostly around in autumn, by my experience.
I like to get the camera down nice and low for mushrooms; high-angle shots just don't do them justice, and often look amateurish. It's a good thing I had my beanbag with me so I could take a solid shot from the ground. I should invest in an angled viewfinder attachment so I don't have to bend down and see the image twisted round, but it's not really essential. This one came out right first time, so there's my slowly advancing photographic experience making itself known again.

Settings: f/8, 1/25, ISO 100, P-FA 50mm, beanbag.

100: Purple Tomato Seedling

Okay, photo number 100 isn't very good, but this tomato plant is significant - in that it was the only grower of 12 planted. Admittedly it's mostly my fault about that, as I planted them all in compost that got waterlogged. At least I have learned well from my mistakes, and now I'm considerably more confident about growing seedlings indoors. It's all about technique. Keep it loose and light!
I potted this into another container with a better mix, and it's doing lovely so far. This variety reportedly produces goose-egg sized purple fruits, so I can't wait to try one of them later in the year. There are even purple patches under the leaves.

Also of significance is how this heirloom variety of plant represents my increasing desire to grow nothing but unusual food plants - that which cannot be found in shops (at least not where I live.)
Of course this year will be full of plenty of normal-type carrots and onions, etc. And I will probably never be rid of the common, standard varieties; barring a massive clear-out and giveaway from my seed box.
It's not elitism, though. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Boltardy beetroot or Nantes carrots, it's simply that if I want a common vegetable, I can go and buy one at the local greengrocer. The satisfaction of growing one's own is one thing that I understand and respect, but there's a whole world of wonderful sights, smells and tastes that I'd much rather fill the garden and the kitchen with. (Not to mention my belly.)
I'm quite sure I'll never see Oca sold anywhere near me, so that's one crop to try. Maybe next year.

Settings: f/3.5, 1/100, ISO 100, P-FA 50mm.

099: Three Ladybirds

Ladybirds, ladybugs.
They seem to be everywhere right now, but I can't help but keep taking photos of them. It's only a pity I've barely found other than the common seven-spot variety so far. I will keep a lookout for more in the coming weeks.

Settings: /6.3, 1/25, ISO 100, 50mm Cosinon M42, 48mm extension, tripod.

098: Shed Door & Cables

This is the first of two posts today, making up for my forgetfulness yesterday.

Here's a simple excercise in, not tidy cabling, but rule-of-thirds composition. The back of the shed door proved a worthy subject. There's an interplay of strong lines and also of patterns of contrasting colours.

Settings: f/8, 1/60, ISO 100, P-FA 50mm.

097: Amaryllis Stigma

I have been informed that this looks phallic.
I can say that I definitely wasn't thinking of it that way when I took the photo. If anything, it's the opposite, being the female part of a flower. I rather thought it looked like a tiny hand, and I still do - that is, when other images aren't intruding into my mind's eye. Damn you, power of suggestion.

In a day or two the sticky appendages [...] will spread out into a curled-back triad formation. Maybe I'll rub some pollen on them; wouldn't that be sexy?

Settings: f/11, 1/180, ISO 100, 50mm Cosinon M42, 77mm extension, 1/4 flash, foil reflector. Slight colour adjustment, sharpening and cropping.

096: Bumblebee

I made friends with this tired bumblebee today. I placed it on a small concrete block and fed it some honey. I don't think it liked the flash burst, so I gave up after a couple of shots. This is the better one.
I'm quite impressed at how much detail I managed to capture in this photo; you can clearly make out the texture of the bee's eye and antennae.

Settings: f/5.6, 1/180, ISO 200, 50mm Cosinon M42, 77mm extension, 1/4 flash, foil reflector. Some RAW tweaking (luminance curve, noise reduction ,sharpening, cropping.)

095: Carbon Liths

Our electric fire pretends to be a coal fire. But these chunks are definitely not coal - I think they're graphite.
Today they're some kind of jagged rock formation. Tomorrow, back to being fake coal. What a glamorous existence they have...

Settings: f/8, 1/180, ISO 100, 50mm Cosinon M42, 9mm extension, 1/4 flash, foil reflectors.

094: Lightbulb Glass

The tip of a non-functioning GU10 halogen lightbulb. One thing broken bulbs are just as good for as working ones is not being turned on when a photograph is taken.
My advice is don't go for the cheap ones; they're rubbish.

Settings: f/16, 1/180, ISO 100, 50mm Cosinon M42, 77mm extension, 1/4 flash, foil reflector.

093: Glass Toy Eyes

If there's one thing that divides opinions, it must be glass eyes on wires. Creepy or comforting? Boring or fascinating?
I certainly find them interesting, and like them for their colourful strangeness.

Settings: f/2.8, 1/30, ISO 100, 28mm Sun M42, 9mm extension, flourescent anglepoise, LED torch, foil background.

092: Daffodils & Light Rings

Settings: f/8, 1/160, ISO 200, 500mm Tamron SP mirror lens, tripod.

091: It's A Robot!

A dirty little pink plastic robot pig with flashing blue LEDs for eyes. It even oinked when a button on its head was pressed. Ah, the horror. Sort of amusing, though.
It was destroyed by being accidentally caught in a door - off popped its little hollow head and out spilled its circuited innards. It somehow reminds me of Westworld, Saturn 3 and The Terminator all at once... I shall posthumously name him Yul Hector Schwartzenegger.

Settings: f/11, 1/180, ISO 100, 58mm Helios-44-2, 10mm extension, 1/4 flash, glass, foil & white reflectors.