This image was the result from attaching a Kenko 35mm extension tube on a Sigma 50mm EX lens, with my Canon 60D. The subject is a bowl filled with soap suds. The suds were backlit from underneath. In this case, I rested the bowl of soapy water directly on a stand-mounted lightbox, with the bracket set at 90 degrees so that the box was sitting level with the ground. The camera was mounted on a tripod, positioned directly overhead of the bowl. Settings were ISO 200, f/16, at around 1/125th of a second exposure.

Extension tubes fit between your camera body and lens to increase the distance between the camera’s sensor and lens elements. This reduces the minimum focusing distance of the lens to allow you to get closer to the subject for the type of shot you see above. Extension tubes have no glass, so you can combine any of the three in the kit together to achieve different results. There is a bit of math involved (that I won’t go into here) that helps technical users attach the right combination to the right lens, but have fun and play with various combinations to see how they work for you with your particular kit.

With a narrow aperture and low ISO, you can generally expect to kill all ambient light, ensuring that the image is only lit by the source you specify; this allows you to both properly color balance the image and play with gels to achieve a variety of effects without worrying about mixed light contamination from your room lighting.

Extension tubes have been described as a poor man’s macro kit, and in some circumstances they work very well for the task. The particular set of tubes I used comes as three-piece kit with a 35mm, 25mm, and 13mm, and each have the necessary contacts to retain AF compatibility with the Canon EF series lens used with the EOS line of cameras. I highly recommend using manual focus to achieve the sharpest possible image.

When you get down to this level of magnification, the depth of field (DOF) gets very narrow, so keep in mind that you generally have to use a very narrow aperture (f/16 or higher), and will need a substantial light source to effectively light your subject.

Because of the narrow DOF, you should ensure that your lens and subject are on plane with one another, otherwise you could find yourself with one section of the image tack-sharp, with areas off-plane quickly going out of focus. The bubbles tend to look better when the plane of focus of level, so that the geometry of the suds are well defined throughout the image.

Extension tubes are a relatively inexpensive way to begin experimenting with macro photography without spending the investment in a decent macro lens. You can use them with your existing lenses and get pretty good results. There is some light loss associated with their use, and true macro lenses are designed to compensate for this. Once you are ready to move into the world of macro photography full-time, consider the investment of a true macro lens kit.

Here are a couple of more images taken with extension tubes attached.

An Afghan man sits along a stained, decaying wall with a faded blue metal door. (Steven R. Green)

This is another one of my “Drive By” shots from a trip through Kabul.    There were a few elements slightly out of place (in my opinion) with respect to the original shot, so I decided to get a little creative and work the image with AdobeLightroom 4 and  Photoshop CS6 to achieve the resulting photo above.  Below is the original image so you can see what changes were made.

As you can see, the finished image is nothing like the original…

First, I moved the blue sign (actually a painted over window) from above the door, to replace the window just above the man on the left.  I cleaned up the space above the door with a little selective copying, pasting, and blending.

Using Photoshop’s Content Aware replacement feature, I removed the subject crouched on the right, as well as the rain spout on the wall (subject left) and accompanying puddle of water on the sidewalk.  It took a few tries to get each replaced properly, along with a little touch-up.

Contrast, vibrance and saturation were also adjusted, as well as the addition of an ”S” curve to even out the overall image tone (I also dodged the subject’s face a bit to reveal his expression).

Once all of the image adjustments were accomplished, I cropped and straightened the image to give it a pleasing composition that is easy to follow.  When deciding to play around with an image in Photoshop, it is usually best to start with the entire image so that you have the most pixels to work with.  Once done, go back to Lightroom and perform your crops.

Here’s a small tip for those using LR and PS together. If you need more contrast, make some initial changes in LR, edit in PS as desired, then add more contrast in LR to the resulting PSD image you just created.  The same basically applies to any adjustment, but you should use this technique very carefully as you start losing quality somewhat.

To the average Afghan, images of daily life may not be very interesting (they live the life every day).  To an outsider like me, I am fascinated with the activity that goes on in this environment despite the obvious risk associated with the location.  People go about their daily lives, attending school, shopping, working, and just being who they are.  Afghans are truly the sort of rugged people that just accept the fact that life itself is short and the inherit dangers that surround them are merely a part of their normal existence.  This is an activity worth documenting.

Armed (poor choice of word) with a Canon G1X compact digital camera, a one-inch think bullet-proof window, and available light, I have made it a project of sorts to try to capture as much of the urban and rural activities of the average Afghan population whenever possible.  I have been assembling these images into a gallery on my photography site.

I don’t see this collection achieving any awards.  There is no opportunity to position the subject, find the best light or angle, or even get a re-take if necessary.  Blink, andn the moment is gone forever.  The vehicle is moving, the glass is thick and dusty, and everything works against you as you try to anticipate and compose the best possible image.  Armored vehicle windows do not roll down, so you have to be clever, creative and lucky.

The Canon G1X is a powerful little camera, and the fact that RAW is an option really helps because virtually every image needs some work in post to color correct for the vehicle glass and adjust contrast and saturation to some degree to bring out the best possible image.  Cropping and rotation? Oh yes, an unavoidable fact as you try to snap away while driving down what could best be described as “bad roads”.  Adobe Lightroom 4 works great for the necessary fixes.

Notice that the buildings in the background are sharper than the blur of the man walking nearby.  

Composition is also tricky.  The shutter on the G1X is electronic, and it has little lag associated with it so you are pretty much trying to focus on the general distance that you guess the approaching subject will be from you, and try to anticipate the lag to ensure you generally get the desired subject in center frame.  The rule of thirds happens usually by lucky accident, and you can generally expect to save one out of twenty shots from a trip out.  The throwaway rate is probably much higher.  Remember, the faster you are moving and the proximity your subject is to your camera directly affect the shutter speed you will need to freeze the action.  The closer the subject, the faster they move by you.  Try to aim out into the near distance, which gives you a little more time to anticipate an interesting scene, compose, and get the shot.

Shutter Priority (Tv for Canon) rules in this form of photography, and since the G1X is not superfast (f/2.8) at max aperture and widest angle, you have to find a shutter speed that is fast enough to freeze most action as close as possible and still allow enough light to get the image to the sensor.  I have found that on relatively clear days, I can get away with decent capture (with a little crazy wrist action follow focus) at 1/800th second, ISO 400, and still manage to get a sharpish aperture between f/8-f/13. It is tough to go manual mode because the midtones change dramatically depending on the subject and distance.

Another issue is window reflection.  In the image above, you can see a hint of glare cast by the vehicle window.   Flash is not possible (you could get shot), and recycle times would be just too slow to catch a rapidly developing scene.  To overcome most windlow reflection or glare, it usually best to shoot with the sun at your back and slightly above the roof of the vehicle.  This tends to reduce window glare substantially, but not completely.  Another trick is to get the lens as close as possible to the window, minimizing window to lens footprint, and increasing the ability to focus through the window itself which also cuts down on problems with surface dirt, dust and other defects on the glass (scratches, water spots, etc)  that degrade the image.

The sun casts a glare on the window, creating white streaks near the rear tire of the vehicle.  Try to get the sun behind you and above all vehicle windows you will be shooting from (if at all possible). This image is not completely color corrected, as evidenced by the greenish tint caused by the vehicle window.

You don’t have to be in Afghanistan to try a little “drive-by” photography.  As a passenger (not recommended when driving), clean your window, and try your luck driving around town.  Find the settings, position, and time of day that work best for you, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what you have captured.

Steve

At large in Afghanistan

My feet luxuriously soaking in an Avon inflatable foot bath.

Combat boots, no matter how comfortable, cushy (or expensive) take their toll on your feet, especially when you are in them for 16+ hours a day in 100 plus degree desert environments.

Thanks to my wife Becky, the latest care package included some foot soaking gear, including the above inflatable foot bath from Avon.  Thankfully, this clever little device comes in a neutral green color, so I get to preserve my manhood somewhat as I enjoy one of the finer things in life.

I wonder if I can find a nice robe…..

Steve

Upon arriving and getting around Afghanistan, I noticed that there were a variety of unique stencils painted upon the “T-Walls” that protect many of the facilities on bases around the country. I started snapping photos and before I knew it, I had a pretty large collection going. I decided to put together a little book to memorialize these little objects left behind by anonymous artists who wanted to leave their mark for others to see. Some are simple, many are humurous, and yet others were left to remember their fallen comrades. In honor of the sacrifice made by so many, I am donating the proceeds of this Blurb book to the Wounded Warrior Foundation should it prove to capture any interest.

(Companion Gallery)

Steve

One of the most important things to remember about a flash is that it is used to create a mood, or light an otherwise poorly lit environment that the camera is incapable of seeing based on the limitations of sensitivity of the camera and aperture of the lens.  If you can shoot with ambient light, try it first and then use a flash to fill in the creative blanks that nature prevents the camera from seeing.

The funny thing about a camera flash is that even though it is small in size, when on camera and so close to the subject, it tends to become a large light source (inverse square law stuff).  The sun is a large light source, but very far away. Try comparing the size of your flash to the size of the sun from the perspective of where you are shooting, and you might get an idea of how large it truly can be.  A flash is certainly not as powerful as the sun, but more than enough to cast unwanted shadows when used indoors.

Many of these images will have undesireable shadows in near proximity to the subject.  I did this deliberately to show off the effect of the flash modifier.  If shadows are a concern, move your subject farther away from those things (walls, etc) the shadows will be cast upon.  The farther the subject from the wall, the less of a shadow will be created (again, that inverse square thing).  If using off-camera flash, try to position the flash to project shadows away from (below, above, to the side of) the frame of the image (unless shadows are desired by design).

The first thing to do is get your flash off of the camera if at all possible, through the use of a flash cable or wireless remote.  It is very hard to convey drama in an image from light that is centerline to the lens and almost directly above it.

Here are a few examples of various flash lighting with and without modifiers:

Bare Flash

This is a straight-on shot with a bare flash.  Note the harshness of the image and well defined shadows behind the subject.  There are almost no good reasons to photograph anything with a bare flash straight on in an indoor environment.

Bare Flash with Factory Diffusing Grid (Wide Angle Diffuser)

This is a flash with drop-down wide angle diffuser.  Light is diffused a bit, as are shadows, but they are still really visible and well defined.

Sto-Fen White Diffuser

This is a white Sto-Fen Diffuser (Flash Cap).  Light is a little softer, and shadows are minimized.  Good all purpose and very inexpensive tool for modifying on camera flash.

Ceiling Bounce with Fill Card

This is a flash fired up at an 8 foot ceiling with a white card attached to fill the subject.  Light from the ceiling tends to wrap around subject and shadows are very diffuse because the subject is filled in with a hint of extra light from the front.  This is another great tool to use for photographing anything, and was made from a white index card wrapped aroud the flash with a rubber band.

Straight Ceiling Bounce

This is flash fired up at the ceiling, no modifiers.  There are no background shadows being cast because of the wrapping effect a white ceiling has on the room when lit by a flash, but note the deep shadows created on the face under the ball cap.  Great for lighting a room but without some fill, not very appropriate for people.  Anything directly blocking light from the ceiling will be in shadow.  Good for parties, large groups, but a white or near white low ceiling is a must (12′ or less).

Gary Fong LiteSphere, lid on

Gary Fong LightSphere, white lid on.  By keeping the lid on, more light is reflected to the front of the subject.  Generally, this modifier has a wrapping effect that is similar to the Sto-Fen Diffuser.  The device does tend to create a larger light source, so light is spread out a bit more and shadows tend to be softer with a bit more coverage.

Gary Fong LightSphere, lid off

With the lid off, a majority of the flash goes to the ceiling, but provides fill flash to the subject.  Shadows are cast but are diffuse.  Note that because the LightSphere is larger and shooting into the ceiling, a distinct shadow is still cast under the rim of the ball cap.  Again, depends greatly on ceiling height and color.

I don’t usually wake up with camera in hand for sunrise or pre-dawn images, mostly because I am typically getting ready for work, coming home from work, or snoring hard after a late night shift.  I was up today to run a few early errands, and the El Paso sky offered up some really nice photo opportunities, so I took advantage of being there to to capture (and share) moment.

I have other sunrise and sunset images in the gallery, and you can check them out by clicking the below image!

Steve

Okay, what kind of self-respecting photographer would I be if I did not take the opportunity to grab a shot of tonight’s Super Moon? Technically, it is a Supermoon + 3 hours on May 6, 2012, because I just had too much going on at the job that pays for most of the equipment I take photos with. It isn’t fancy, set to the Rule of Thirds, or anything else other than a basic shot of the moon at maximum perigee for 2012. The photo was taken handheld from El Paso, Texas.

This black and white image was taken with a Canon EOS 60D (APS-C sensor), using a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM lens and Sigma 2x EX Teleconverter. Shot specs: ISO 200, 1/500th, f/11, 400mm, cropped and enhanced using Adobe Lightroom 4.

For anyone that doesn’t know (and I am not an astronomer), the moon at perigee tonight appeared approximately 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter because the lunar orbit placed it approximately 31,000 miles closer to the Earth than usual. For more sciency stuff, please check out NASA’s page here.