Up close and personal

I'm getting my point-and-shoot (Canon G9) back this week, as my daughter has returned from across the pond. I didn't miss it that much, although I will admit I'm beginning to look for a replacement for it. What I need is a rangefinder-type camera with interchangeable lenses and full size sensor that won't break the bank. I think technology is close on that.

But in the mean time, I'd like to think I've made some progress with another camera, my iPhone. Yes, it's only a 5 megapixel camera, and I already envy the 8mp in the new iPhone 4S. I've been working hard and trying to understand how to get the most out of the world of apps out there. I'm an avid Instagramer (pixellarry).

All apps aside, I started playing around with auxiliary lens for it after looking at all the available accessories, including ones that do what I'm going to tell you about.

A year or so ago, I picked up a small lens at a yard sale for a buck or so. I'll do that sometimes and have consequently collected quite an array of camera junk. I suspect this lens might have been for a movie camera, or maybe even a loupe. I  haven't really investigated. On the business end is a lens marked "Foth, Anistigmat, 1:3,5, f = 75m/m". I know Foth made cameras in the 1930's.

So, after reading an article, I unscrewed the two elements on the lens and tried holding them up to the lens on the iPhone. One lens allowed for Macro (extreme close-ups) and other for a distorted wide-angle fish-eye type lens. Very cool.

I've made a few photos with the close-up lens (including the Xmas light bulb shown at the top and bottom photo at left). I haven't tried the other yet, except to shoot the test photos at left, but I will. I also tried using a little pocket magnifier. And I think I have a close-up lens kit for a medium format camera up in the closet somewhere I'll have to investigate.

The drawbacks seem to be that if you have fat fingers it can be difficult to hold the lens and take a photo at the same time. And if your auxilliary lens is small, it's tough to hold in place without getting the edge of the lens or your finger in the photo.

My point is that you should experiment. Sometimes a happy accident is better than thoughtful research.

The Holidays begin

I know, it's not a great photo. Pretty average, in fact. But it reminds me of the time of year when we enter the dormant season. The trees have offered their fruit, but in this instance, in a location removed from deer, fearing the "urban" conflicts.

Colors are muted, we're past the oranges and reds and yellows. Now it's time for browns, until the snow comes and covers it all.

It's a time for Thanksgiving, and preparing for the coming months in this part of the country.

Give thanks, take photos.

While I've been away

So it’s been a while. And as much as I hate winter, I can’t wait for summer to be over. It’s been oppressively hot. But the elephant in the room is the fact that in six weeks time my children lost three grandparents. That’s an awkward sentence, I know, but it’s still pretty awkward to talk about.

My family will always come first, but for the first time in my adult life, photography has taken a back seat. In fact, it’s in the observation car of the train we call life.

I took one pinhole camera photo over the summer. It was average. My last reconstruction was in late June. I have not touched a digital SLR until two weeks ago, for a real job.

I gave my daughter my Canon G9 to take to the UK this fall as she attends the University of Sussex on a semester of study abroad. If you follow this blog, you’ll know it was my go-to camera.

And I got an iPhone. And it has a camera and video built in. And there are these things called apps. Brave new world for Pixellarry.

So in this report there are two photos. The top one is a whacky tone job on a picture I made Friday night at a high school football game. The other is one I took on my phone of the exterior of my outdoor patio. Filter applied through Instragram. And just for fun, I’ve started posting some images there, under pixellarry.

Neither photo is the kind of thing I usually shoot. Go figure.