Photo Story: Macro Photography for when you're stuck indoors

in #photography7 years ago

Around this time of year Scotland tends to be very rainy. More so than usual. It will rain every day. Sometimes all day, sometimes interspersed throughout the day. Point being, as an outdoor photographer, there isn’t much you can do. You can go out in the rain, but sometimes the rain is too heavy even for that. We are talking 30 seconds, and you are soaked to the bone. You get stuck indoors for days at a time. Cabin fever sets in. You’ve watched all your box sets twice. You’ve gone through Netflix several times. Day drinking becomes an attractive prospect.

So what do you do to drive off the madness? Macro photos of things you find around the house! Why not! You just finished washing some dishes? Great! Don’t let it go down the drain! Grab your camera and your best macro lens and snap some bubbles!

Bubbles!

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Don’t have a macro lens? No problem! Neither do I!

Get a reversing ring here.

This allows you to attach your lens to your camera backwards creating a macro lens. It’s not great but it works! You have to do a little manual fiddling with the lens for focus and distance.

Like the bubbles? How about we throw in some food dye?

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I have more than one color of food dye....

More!

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Why stop there...

Super combo color bubbles!

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Ok quick check.. is it still raining? Of course it is! Lets take a picture of a toothbrush! (clean it first).

Toothbrush

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…since we’re in the bathroom..

Shaving Brush!

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Still raining…. The fish tank hasn’t been cleaned in a while. Snails! They’re 2mm wide, lets take a pic of one!

Snail!

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Just found an old iPhone charging cable .. boom! snapped!

Boom

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Ok it looks like the weather is calming down and so am I. Oh look someone left a cigarette in the house. Lets stand it up and take a top down shot. That could be cool.

Welcome To Flavor Country

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Smoking is harmful to your health and makes your breath stink and then no one wants to kiss you. Don't do it kids.

Oh yeah that’s cool!

So with a cheap reversing ring you can turn a lens you already have into a macro lens and turn everyday mundane items into a new interesting photo. Experimenting with different lighting and backgrounds can also yield interesting results.


Thanks for looking.
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Hey @fiftysixnorth,
Cool photos.
I just made a macro lens for my smartphone using an old digital camera lens and a paper clip. I've been nerding out with it and boring work colleagues.
These photos are inspirational.

Thanks @tzonedevlin :) That is some seriously awesome MacGyver shit you got going. I'd never have thought to try that. I once used a rubber hose and an old lens to create a tilt shift lens, but and old lens and a paperclip? I love it! :)

It's not pretty
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but it does the trick
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This is the writing in the edge of the new pound coin, I can't even see it with my naked eye!

That is awesome. I love the homemade solution and I love the results! :)

It looks beautiful to me :)

This is cool, great photos. I have done the same myself. The rain situation is the same here in Norway. In June it rained every single day here. A couple of sunny days in July but now it's back to rain. I want to get more out in the rain an shoot photos because very few does, and it can make amazing photos. However, I talk more about it than actually getting out there :/

Thanks! Yeah the rain does present brilliant photo opportunities but I struggle to leave the house when its raining hard. Its usually accompanied by wind. I need to get decent waterproof clothing and then maybe :)

Yeah... same here :)

Extension tubes are also an option for macro if you have a SLR. You have inspired me to get mine out and have a go at some macro stuff.

Awesome! Do it and share your results on steemit :) Extension tubes are a good way to go too. I went with the reversing ring because I was totally broke at the time. I hope to buy a proper macro lens one day :)

Yeah, id love a macro lens. It's the one weapon that I dont have in my arsenal as I've always been more of a landscape kind of guy. Maybe the Steem dollars will fund it one day.

This post has received a 1.04 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @banjo.

Thank you :)

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