The Temporary Tenant

Dark Field Lighting

2012-02-07T14:43:00.001Z

Introduction

Dark field lighting is yet another technique I've always wanted to try, but have never got around to investigating! I've seen some stunning examples of wine glasses and brandy glasses looking really elegant in a completely dark environment using this lighting technique! So, when my Project 52 group came up with the weekly theme of Light, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to give it a go!

Setting Up

Lighting Diagram

The lighting set-up is quite complicated, but makes perfect sense once you've got it all assembled.

I was shooting inside a small light tent, using one external flashgun, but better results could be obtained with two flashguns. A light tent isn't really necessary, but helps in keeping outside light sources away from the subject!

First of all I placed the flashgun at the back of the light tent and pointed it straight at the camera.

Next, I placed a flat piece of black card about 5cm (2 inches) in front of the flashgun, and another piece of black card on the base of the light tent for my glass object to stand on.

The idea is that when the flash fires, it fires straight into the card, the light spills around the edges and reflects off the sides of the light tent. It is this light that lights the subject.

However, as light tent's cloth material is partially translucent, this would mean light would escape the set-up! To combat this, I rested a white piece of card on the wall of the light tent on either side of the subject. The white card not only stops light escaping, but also reflects much more light that the material the light tent is made from.

The next step is to place the subject onto the black card base in front of the black card at the rear of the set-up - but don't forget to clean it, rubbing off any unsightly finger marks first!

Finally, I fitted my camera with a short zoom lens (17mm - 50mm), mounted it onto a tripod and set it up to fire using the remote release cable. Obviously the self timer can be used if you don't have a remote release cable, and any lens capable of getting the subject to fill the frame will be okay!

Camera & Flash Configuration

My camera, a Nikon D300, was set-up to control the external flashgun wirelessly using the on-board flashgun. However, the on-board flashgun must be prevented from flashing, as we don't want any direct light falling on the glass object.

I initially configured the external flashgun to use half power, and set the camera to manual exposure and manual focus modes. I then dialled in the following initial settings:

Exposure: 1/250
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 200

I was now ready to fire off a few test shots and adjust appropriately!

Adjustments

My initial shots didn't quite work. The highlighting on the side of the glass was visible, but quite dark. It was clear that I needed to make some adjustments.

Ideally, the lighting set-up would involve two external flashes, both positioned behind the black card, one pointing diagonally at the white card on the left, and one pointing diagonally at the white card on the right.

As I don't have two external flashes, I made a slight adjustment to my lighting set-up! I made a fold in the black card at the rear to make a very shallow V shape. This allowed more light to spill out and reflect off the white card at each side.

I also angled the white cards at both sides so that they rested against the black card at the rear.

The combination of these two changes had the desired effect for me, however, there are an endless number of adjustments that could be performed to the camera settings to achieve the same thing!

I recommend changing only one thing at a time until you're confident about what effect it is having on the overall exposure.

My actual lighting set-up can be seen in the diagram below:

Modified Lighting Set-up

Conclusions

I was quite happy with how the shots turned out in the end. However, I think they could be improved by having a reflection in the black card below the glass object. This could be achieved by using some glossy black card, or by placing a thin sheet of plastic on top of a matt black card.

I shot during the daytime in fairly subdued lighting, but it would be interesting to experiment with shooting in the dark, maybe with a continuous light source instead of flash!

It would also be interesting to see what effect different types of reflector would have on the final image! For instance, replacing the white card with either silver foil or a mirror would produce quite different effects I expect!

I'd also like the opportunity to shoot with two external flashes, just to see how much better, if any, the final image would be!

I hope this little tutorial helps someone!

Please leave a link in the comments if you've tried this yourself!

Examples

Psychedelic Background

2012-02-03T07:49:00.002Z

Introduction

Following on from my Oil on Water images that used my iPad screen as a backdrop, I had a few questions about how I created the psychedelic looking background images.

Of course, I used Photoshop (CS4), and followed the simple steps detailed below...

Procedure

Create a new transparent image
Select the Gradient Tool
Choose a colour gradient that you're happy with
Drag out a gradient across the canvas
Change the gradient Mode to Difference
Drag out another gradient across the canvas (use a different direction)
Choose another gradient if you want (not strictly necessary)
Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you're happy

For extra psychedelicness...

Create a duplicate layer, and select it
Choose Liquify from the Filter menu
Select a convenient Brush Size from the Tool Options
Draw on the canvas, making random swirls
Repeat step 4 until you're happy, then select OK
Flatten the image layers

Adjustments

If at any point during the procedure the colours start to get too dark, there are a couple of things you can do to rectify this.

Try inverting the image using the menu item - Image -> Adjustments -> Invert
Try adding a Brightness / Contrast Layer and increase the Brightness until you're happy

Examples

Psychedelic #1 (click to download)

Psychedelic #2 (click to download)

Oily Water

2012-02-02T11:51:00.000Z

Introduction

I've tried shooting oil floating on water previously, but it never quite worked out the way I wanted. The images always came out too dark and flat, and lacking colour. This time I decided to do it differently!

Setting Up

The first thing I wanted was a colourful background for the images.

I could have used coloured paper or a colourful beach towel, but I decided to go hi-tech, and used my iPad instead! I created a psychedelic background image using Photoshop, and uploaded it to my iPad's picture library. Nobody could accuse me of it not being colourful enough this time!

Psychedelic Background (click to download)

I filled a bowl full of water. Using warm water reduces the amount of air bubbles that attach themselves to the oil, although having bubbles can add to the mystery of the final shot!

I then placed the bowl on top of my iPad screen, taking care not to spill any water onto the device.

The next step was to place a few drops of oil into the water, and watch them magically transform into little discs!

As the shot was being lit from below by the iPad's screen, there was no need for any other light source. Of course, I should have mentioned that the bowl I was using was transparent - that's quite important!

Next I mounted my camera, a Nikon D300, on a tripod, fitted my 105mm macro lens, attached a remote shutter release cable, and positioned it above the bowl.

Finally I positioned the camera lens as close to parallel with the surface of the water as was possible. This would ensure that the whole of the water surface would be in focus.

Camera Configuration

I set the lens to manual focus and the camera to manual exposure mode, then dialled in some initial settings.

Exposure: 1/30
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 200

I wanted the background to be blurred, and the oil discs to be in sharp focus, so I thought these settings would be a good starting point.

I was now ready to take a series of test shots.

One thing I hadn't bargained for was being able to see the individual pixels from the iPad screen when the aperture was at f/8!

This led to me experimenting with apertures between f/16 and f/2.8, whilst moving the camera further away from the water surface in order to blur the pixels.

I also experimented with increasing the water level in the bowl, thus increasing the separation between the oil discs and the iPad screen to achieve blurry pixels.

Focussing

I found it quite difficult to focus on the oil initially, so I tried placing the tip of a pencil on the surface of the water, and focussed on that.

Once I had the focal plane of the oil set in camera, I composed the image by moving the bowl of water, instead of the more cumbersome camera and tripod combination.

Obviously, moving the water had the effect of sloshing the water about in the bowl, which can lead to the oil discs intermingling, so care must be taken when moving the bowl. It's probably quite important not to let the water spill onto the iPad below too!

Conclusions

Using the iPad to get a colourful background to the floating oil discs definitely worked for me, although using a colourful beach towel would have worked equally as well. However, using the iPad meant that no other external lighting was required, which was a bonus.

I have to mention that it's worth spending time to ensure that the oil discs are definitely in focus. I know this sounds like a no brainer, but it's surprisingly easy to miss the plane of focus, and end up shooting a sequence of blurry images - I know because that's what I did initially!

Examples

Mount A Volume Using AppleScript

2012-02-01T06:51:00.000Z

I recently had a problem with a network shared drive on my Apple iMac that prevented me from moving or deleting files from the drive.

I eventually tracked the problem down to not having permission to perform these operations.

This was puzzling, as I was logged in as an administrator to both my iMac, and my Network Attached Storage (NAS) - or so I thought!

I had originally used the Connect to Server feature of Finder to create the network shares, and had then dragged them into the Login Items section of Users & Groups within the System Preferences, so that my shares would be reconnected when I logged in.

This had been working fine for a number of months - or so I thought!

It all broke down when I rebooted my iMac - which I do very infrequently!

The reboot caused my network shares to reconnect at login, as expected. What wasn't expected was that instead of logging in as Administrator, the shares were logged in as Guest, and the Guest account didn't have the necessary permissions to move or delete files!

After a little bit of research, I overcame this problem by writing some AppleScript to mount my shared volumes.

The AppleScript looks something like this...

try 
   mount volume "smb://user@server/share1"
   mount volume "smb://user@server/share2"
   mount volume "smb://user@server/share3"
end try

NOTE: In the code above, user is the name of the user on the network device (e.g. admin / ian), server is the name of the network device (e.g. NG500 for my Netgear NAS drive) and share1, share2, share3 are the names of the network shares to mount as volumes (e.g. Music / Photos / Data).

I saved the AppleScript as an Application and dragged it into the Login Items section of Users & Groups within the System Preferences, instead of the individual network shares.

This now seems to work fine - and yes I've tried rebooting the system a couple of times!

I hope this helps someone having similar problems!

White Behind Water Shooting

2012-01-23T20:29:00.000Z

Introduction

Taking pictures of water drops and splashes has always been a passion of mine! One of the things I'd been meaning to try for a long time was shooting splashes against a white background.

Obviously, taking shots of water droplets splashing into a bowl of water and getting consistent results is a bit of a hit and miss affair, unless you use some of the sophisticated electronic triggers available on the market. However, there are a few things you can do during the set-up to ensure that if the shutter is pressed at the correct moment, you stand a chance of getting a great photograph!

Setting Up

Lighting Diagram

The lighting set-up is really simple, as you can see from the diagram above. If you can accept that the flowers represent a bowl of water, then you'll have no problem!

The bowl of water is transparent, and filled to the brim! This is so the bowl isn't visible in the final image!

To get the white background in your shot, you'll obviously need something white to place behind your bowl of water. I used a single sheet of white A4 paper, but if you want, you can blow the expense, and use a pair of light stands and a specialised photographic backdrop!

I also stood the bowl of water on another sheet of white paper, to help reflect the light from below, but this isn't strictly necessary. The bowl was placed about 25cm in front of the backdrop.

The remote flash was positioned to the right of the bowl of water, and pointed at an angle towards the white backdrop. When fired, it will help make the background go pure white.

The camera was fitted with a 105mm macro lens, mounted on a tripod, and fired using a remote release cable. However, any lens capable of focusing on the subject will do. The self timer can be used if you don't have a remote release, but I would say that a tripod is essential!

Camera & Flash Configuration

I used my on board flash to trigger the remote flash, but didn't want the on board flash to activate during the shot as this would introduce unsightly white areas of light into the droplets, so I switched it off. I then configured the remote flash to use TTL metering.

I set the camera, a Nikon D300, to manual exposure mode, and dialled in some initial settings:

Exposure: 1/60

Aperture: f/22

ISO: 400

You may wonder why the shutter speed is so low? With this set-up, it's actually the quick burst of flash that freezes the action, and not the speed of the shutter, so 1/60s is adequate for the job! In fact, if the room was completely dark, the exposure time could be in the seconds, rather than fractions of seconds!

Focussing

To get the correct plane of focus, I placed the tip of a pencil in the centre of the bowl of water, and used the camera autofocus to focus on it. I then switched the camera into manual focus mode to retain focus on the centre of the bowl of water. It now pays to be careful about knocking the tripod! There's nothing worse than thinking you've nailed a shot, only to find your focussing was out because of a silly mishap!

Adjustments

From now on, it's all a bit trial and error, and the settings become a bit of a balancing act! You want to be able to freeze the drops and splashes, but too much light will over expose them - too little light, and you won't see them!

The job of the remote flash is to over expose the backdrop and make it pure white, whilst the backdrop should provide enough reflected light to freeze the action happening in or above the bowl of water!

Taking a number of test shots is essential. These test shots will tell us how accurate our initial settings were, and how we need to adjust them to suit the ambient lighting.

If the shots are too dark, or too light, I found that changing the metering mode of the remote flash from TTL to manual, and varying the flash output between 1/128 - 1/32 gave me good control over the background exposure.

Changing the lens aperture to between f/8 - f/29 gave good control over the foreground exposure. These were the only two settings I changed throughout the shoot.

Splash Production

I used a sheet of wet kitchen roll to feed water drops as near to the centre of the bowl as possible. I tried to coincide firing the shutter just a moment after squeezing the kitchen roll, to catch the droplet as it hit the surface of the water.

I produced different types of splash by varying the height at which I held the wet kitchen roll. They type of splash produced can also be changed by varying the depth of the water the droplets are falling into.

After only a few attempts, I got into a rhythm which yielded some pretty acceptable shots.

Conclusions

Shooting water droplets and splashes without the use of electronic triggers can be an extremely frustrating experience. However, I'd recommend everyone give it a go! The results can be spectacular!

It's worth pointing out that once you've got the lighting set-up to your liking, there are two main problems to overcome.

1) Regularity of drip
2) Focus on splash

Both of these problems come about from the method of splash production. Manually squeezing a wet kitchen roll at arms length above the bowl just isn't accurate enough to reproduce either a regular drip or hit the same spot in the bowl every time.

However, I believe that both problems can both be overcome by building a rig containing a reservoir of water and a water supply tube! The rig would sit above the bowl and be able to consistently drop water into the same location time after time. Focus could then be taken from the point where the drops splashdown using the pencil tip method described above! The regularity of drips could be changed by using a valve within the tube used to deliver the water!

It's also worth noting that everyone's situation is different. I was shooting during the daytime in quite a bright room. Shooting at night in a completely darkened room will require different camera and flash settings, although the lighting set-up should be the same!

I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon of shooting - especially when one of my test shots yielded a collision, as can be seen in the examples below! This has spurred me on to get that rig built!!

I hope this information helps...

NOTE: I used the online lighting diagram creator to create the diagram!

Examples

Chaotic Cuppa Coffee Capturing

2012-01-19T14:12:00.000Z

Introduction

I've been meaning to shoot a coffee cup splash shot for a long time. I've done plenty of splash shots in the past, but never one that involved a mug - other than myself of course!

This one was fairly simple to set-up, as you'll see from the diagram and explanation below...

Setting Up

Lighting Setup

First of all I used Blu-Tack to fix a piece of black cloth to the kitchen wall and brought it down to the kitchen worktop. Keep in mind that the cloth is going to get wet, and possibly stained, so don't use your other half's best scarf or sweater for this!!

I then placed my most photogenic mug in the middle of the cloth at an interesting angle, and filled it with piping hot coffee. Yes, I'm afraid that this is my most photogenic mug!!

I positioned a remote flash to the right, and behind the mug, and fitted the flash head with a makeshift cone of black paper using an elastic band. The makeshift cone isn't strictly necessary, but it helps reduce light spill onto the background.

Camera Settings

Next I set-up my camera, fitted with an 17-50 zoom lens, on a tripod, and focussed on the mug, adjusting the zoom until I had a pleasing composition.

I then activated the on board flash, and set it, and the remote flash, to use TTL metering.

It was then time to fire a test shot. I set the camera to manual mode and started off with these settings:

Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 400

Adjustments

Initially, the cup appeared to be overexposed, so I stopped the aperture down to f/13 which helped a little. I then decided to use the flash exposure compensation feature of my camera, and dialled in a -1.0 adjustment for the on board flash. This was perfect! Obviously your settings may be different, but I'd suggest playing with only one variable at a time, and that you start playing with the flash exposure compensation setting first!

Splash Production

The last step was to make a splash!

I wanted to drop sugar cubes into the mug to produce the splash, but I didn't have any, so I used the next most logical thing - erasers! You know, those things you use for erasing mistakes when you're writing in pencil! It turns out they're just the job! Heavy enough to cause a splash, but not so heavy that all of the liquid is gone after one splash! The only downside is that they don't sweeten your drink!

To make the splash, I dropped an eraser from about four inches above the mug, and tried to time pressing the shutter just after it hit the coffee! Oh, did I mention that I used a remote shutter release cable to fire the shutter. I guess it would get quite complicated if you didn't!

After each splash there was quite a mess, and a strong smell of coffee, which got stronger as the shoot progressed! I wiped down the mug with a paper towel after each shot, also topping it up when required. I tried not to move the mug during this maintenance, but recomposed if I did! I also tried to mop up any excess coffee that hadn't soaked into my best black cardigan!

Luckily, it only took me six shots to get a keeper - so I still had enough coffee left in the pot for a quick cuppa!

Conclusions

Producing coffee cup splashes is lots of fun, but, it creates lots of mess! I thoroughly enjoyed my first session shooting them, but cleaning up afterwards took as long as the shoot itself!

However, I think the results were worth the effort and I'll definitely be trying it again sometime soon!

I hope this information helps...

NOTE: I used the online lighting diagram creator to create the diagram!

Examples

Blowing Smoke

2012-01-12T23:22:00.000Z

Introduction

I've been trying to get a half decent smoke shot for a long, long time, but when I've tried before, they've never worked out like I wanted. Having tried using candles, matches and burning paper, to generate the smoke, amongst other things, I think the key is to use an incense stick!

Setting Up

Lighting Setup

First of all I placed an incense stick in an incense holder, although Blue-Tack would work, in the middle of a table.

I then set-up a black background behind the incense stick. I used the black cloth that came with my light tent, but any sort of black material would do.

I positioned a remote flash to the right of the incense stick, and slightly behind it. I wanted a completely black background so I also angled the flash slightly forward to stop any light spill from hitting the background. To help in this task, I created a makeshift cone out of black paper and fitted it around the flash head using an elastic band.

I then lit the incense stick and turned the lights out!

Unfortunately, this meant I couldn't see the smoke, so focussing would be a problem! So, I set-up one of my LED lamps to the left of the subject, and again, angled it forwards to stop any light spilling onto the background. This highlighted the rising smoke nicely.

Basic Camera Settings

I then set the camera to manual mode, and dialled in a shutter speed of 1/250th second, which is the same as my maximum flash sync speed and set the aperture to f/8.

I then set-up the wireless flash (of course you can use wired flash too) to fire the remote flash at half power. I also turned off the on board flash.

Smoke Distribution

I'd now set my basic settings, so I fired off a test shot. I was quite happy with the results, apart from I had a boring vertical line of smoke!

So, I set about trying different methods of disturbing the airflow around the rising smoke, snapping away as I observed more interesting patterns.

Finally, I managed to capture some smoke shots that I was quite happy with!

Conclusions

The settings I ended up using for the final shots were:
Exposure: 1/250
Aperture: f/13
ISO: 200

Of course, if you're trying this for yourself, your settings may be different.

I fine tuned my settings by varying the aperture for sharpness and adjusting the exposure compensation to ensure that the background remained completely black without underexposing the smoke.

I hope this information helps...

NOTE: I used the online lighting diagram creator to create the diagram!

Examples

My 2011 In 365 Photos

2012-01-02T08:25:00.003Z

2011 - 365

I can't believe it's all over! My photo 365 project has come to an end!

Taking a photo a day for a year was a huge undertaking, but it seems to have flown by!

When I started the project, I wasn't sure of my motives.

Was it to become a better photographer? Maybe.

Was it to increase the size of my portfolio? Probably not.

Was it to document my life? Definitely not!

What were my motives then? Do you know? I still can't really answer that!

However, what I do know, is that it's been an amazing journey, and I've probably learned more about myself than I have about photography!

I would recommend that anyone who is serious about photography participate in a project 365.

I will really miss the daily challenge as its been a big part of my life!

What is quite strange is that even though I completed the project, I feel rather guilty that I didn't take a photograph on January 1st! It's the first time I haven't picked up a camera in over a year!

I must start shooting again soon...

Calendars For Christmas?

2011-12-09T02:34:00.001Z

I have two 2012 calendars available at RedBubble! Surely the ideal Christmas gift if you like images of creepy crawlies or flora? :)

Insect Safari

2011-03-31T12:14:00.005+01:00

A few people over on my flickr page have been asking how I shoot my insect macros, so I thought I'd try and explain here...

Locating Your Prey

The first thing you've got to consider is the subject! If you haven't got a model, you can't even begin!

Anyone who's tried swatting a fly knows how quickly they can move, and how spooked they get as you get closer. Sneaking up on them is very difficult, but not impossible.

As insects are cold blooded, it takes time for them to warm up on a morning. So, ideally, the morning is the best time to approach them, whilst their energy reserves are low, and their movement is sluggish.

As the sun comes up and starts warming the air, you can normally find flies at rest on plants, bushes and flowers. Take a close look and you can normally find quite a few sitting as bold as brass on flower petals on brighter mornings.

Dragonflies and damselflies can usually be found clinging to reeds and long grasses. If you're lucky, you might even find one covered in dew.

In my experience, butterflies like to hang out almost anywhere they can be exposed to full sun, usually near a source of pollen.

There's no better place to start looking for subjects than your back garden or local park, although more species will probably be accessible at your local nature reserve.

Stalking Your Prey

Once you've found your subject, stalking it depends on what type of insect you're shooting. For instance, a ladybird will probably sit still until you get bored, whilst a butterfly will fly off before you get within five feet of it!

Probably the most important thing to remember is that whatever the insect, it's trying to warm up, so interrupting its heat source will probably lead to it moving. This means that you won't want to cast your shadow over the insect. Butterflies are particularly sensitive to shadows, and will dart off immediately if one is detected.

The next most important thing to remember is that insects are small. This means that even the slightest vibration to us is like a major earthquake to them. Be very careful when approaching them not to brush a flower petal, grass stalk, or a branch that is adjacent to them, or they'll be gone in an instant.

It's worth remembering that dragonflies and damselflies like to return to a familiar lookout point, so if you see one sat surveying its surroundings, don't be put off if it leaves before you get a shot. Be patient and wait a few minutes and you may be rewarded when it returns to the exact same spot!

Camera Setup

I shoot using a Nikon D300, a 12 megapixel camera, which also has good noise handling capabilities.

I like to shoot at ISO 400 or less, with an aperture set between f/8 and f/16. When working in close, this aperture range will usually give sufficient depth of field to get the subject in focus.

I also like to work exclusively in aperture priority mode.

Lens Choice

A dedicated macro lens is my preferred method for shooting insects. I use the excellent Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR, which has the added advantage of vibration reduction technology.

The 105mm is a great focal length for shooting insects as it gives a comfortable shooting distance between the subject and the shooter. I've used a 60mm macro optic and found that it required getting in too close to the subject, hence there was more chance of my model fleeing.

My experiences with other equipment can be seen below.

Technique

There are numerous techniques that can be employed when shooting insects, although I tend to prefer the two tried and tested methods outlined below.

Method 1

Set the camera to autofocus and carefully approach your subject. As you approach, take a few test shots, as although they are from further away, they may be suitable for cropping later, and you don't want to be telling tales of the one that got away!

As you get into position, carefully moving closer and closer, and still shooting as you go, try and keep an eye on your exposure details. As your frame fills with the insect, you'll find that there is less and less light to play with.

You may have to increase your aperture to maintain a high enough shutter speed to avoid blur. This is where a lens with vibration reduction can help, or a camera that is capable of shooting at high ISO with low noise.

Even though you've engaged autofocus, you may still find that many of your shots turn out to be blurred.

At this point, you may want to try switching to manual focus, and having a go at method 2.

Method 2

This method is for when you've already reached the optimal distance from your subject.

The camera should be set to manual focus, and the subject brought into sharp focus in the viewfinder. Working at such close distances will mean that this will be tricky, but not impossible.

I've found that getting a firm footing, holding the camera in tight to my eye, setting an approximate focus, and then shooting off five or six frames in rapid succession as I sway slightly forwards and backwards can yield good results.

Obviously not all shots will be in focus using this method, but you're only after one!

You may also try this method with autofocus switched on, but I've had limited success in that technique.

Cropping

If your camera is capable of capturing lots of detail, it may not matter that you can't get so close to your subject. With the multi mega pixel sensors that cameras are equipped with nowadays, as long as you've captured a sharp image, it's quite possible to crop it down to something that is suitable for printing up to A4 size, or certainly for presenting on a web page.

Whilst I'm not a big fan of huge crops, they can certainly fuel the desire to get in even closer.

Other Equipment

Extension Tubes

My experience with extension tubes for photographing insects has been abysmal! They are cumbersome, they reduce the amount of light that comes into the camera, and they drastically limit the depth of field.

I can't recommend them for this type of photography.

Close-up Filters

I started off using close-up filters on a Canon 50mm lens. They worked great, up to a point.

Close-up filters are usually not made out of the same quality of glass that a lens is made from, with most being made from plastic. This, has the effect of reducing the sharpness of the final image, whilst also reducing the amount of light that is getting into the camera.

They're a great way of getting into macro photography though, and I thoroughly recommend using them before you splash out on an expensive dedicated macro lens.

Reversing Rings

Unfortunately, I've not had the pleasure of using reversing rings.

For those that don't know, a reversing ring is a device that screws into the filter thread of a lens, and is used to mount a lens backwards, onto the camera body.

I've seen some great close-up work done using this technique, but can't comment on their suitability for photographing insects.

Ring Flash

A ring flash is a great addition to any macro photographers kit bag, although they tend to be on the expensive side!

The problem with using an on-camera flash for shooting insects (or any other type of macro work) is that because the lens is so close to the subject, it usually obscures any light that is coming from the flash, and leaves a dark shadow over the subject area.

A ring flash is a flash that attaches to the end of the lens using the filter threads, thus removes the risk of those nasty shadows.

I've found that a ring flash can be a very useful device if shooting in low light conditions, like in the early morning when you're trying to catch those insects before they've mobilised!

Tripod

Whilst a tripod is probably the most essential piece of kit for the still life macro photographer, I've found one next to useless when photographing insects.

By the time you've moved the tripod into position, the insect will have undoubtedly moved.

Conclusion

Taking photographs of insects is lots of fun!

It can be something that can be done in your own back garden.

It can be a bit hair raising at times, like when you're photographing things that can sting you, but if you hold your nerve, I'm sure you'll get the shot you want without being harmed!

I hope this information helps someone! Have fun! :)

Examples

Making A Splash

2011-02-24T11:35:00.000Z

Ok, so a few people on my flickr page have asked me how I setup my recent splash shots. I'll try and explain...

Setup Overview

Water Tank Setup

First of all, I use a small aquarium filled to about two thirds with warm water. Using warm water will reduce the amount of bubbles that form on the front wall of the aquarium. The aquarium is positioned on a black cloth that extends to the rear of the aquarium to provide a black backdrop. I chose to setup the tank over the kitchen sink, as once I start dropping stuff into it, it's going to get very wet, very quickly!

External Flash Setup

I then place an off camera flashgun a foot or so away to the right of the front of the aquarium and angle it at about 45 degrees to the front wall. I try and choose an angle that doesn't reflect too much light off the aquarium wall and back into the lens. Before positioning the external flashgun, it should be set to work in remote trigger mode (not master), and be configured to respond to Group A flash commands.

Camera Setup

I'm using a Nikon D300 to take these shots, so I can only explain this in terms of what the D300 is capable of. I suspect most cameras will have similar options though, so I'll describe what I do in general terms rather than specific menu items.

So, with that in mind, next I set the camera into manual mode and select a shutter speed of 1/250 (my maximum flash sync speed) and an aperture of f/18 (so that I stand a chance of getting my subject in focus). I also connect a remote release cable, so that I can drop the subject with one hand and shoot it with the other simultaneously!

Then I access the camera's flash menu and place the camera into flash commander mode. This allows the camera to control the external flash wirelessly (or by cable if the external flash is not wireless compatible).

Within the camera's flash settings, I switch off the on-board flash as I don't want any light bouncing back off the aquarium wall directly into the lens. I then set the Group A flash to manual, and set the flash duration to 1/80th second. Group B flash is switched off.

Finally, I position the camera a couple of feet away from the aquarium, and manually focus on the water line. I usually fire off a couple of test shots to determine whether or not all of the kit is working at this point, and also to check for flash reflections.

Let The Fun Begin

Once all is setup, the object dropping can begin! I try and drop the objects as close as possible to where I'm focussing on the water line. I try and drop and click in quick succession, if not simultaneously. There's definitely a knack to timing, although once you've got it, you'll be amazed at how many good images you can get - just be prepared to get wet!

Troubleshooting

At first, you'll probably find that the camera may need to be moved in order to get the subject to fill the frame. Alternatively, you may choose to utilise an alternative lens. I've found I get my best results with my 105mm Macro - what else? :)

You may also encounter an image that is too dark or too bright. This can be rectified in a number of ways, such as reducing or increasing the camera aperture from f/18, or repositioning the external flashgun...

However, I've found that varying the duration of the flash output gave me the best results in nearly every circumstance I encountered. So, if it's too dark, try increasing the duration from 1/80th second to 1/40th second. If it's too bright, then reduce the duration maybe to 1/120th second.

Conclusion

To be honest, it's all a bit of trial and error! The best thing to do is learn how your camera settings and flash settings work in conjunction with each other, and what the effect of changing one setting has on another. I've found that changing one setting, whilst keeping the rest constant, is certainly a good way to learn!

I hope this information helps someone! Have fun! :)

Examples

Film Review: Inglourious Basterds

2010-09-02T11:37:00.001+01:00

Today's film review is of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

With such great films as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown under his belt, I was expecting great things from this movie set during the second world war.

What a disappointment! I don't think I've ever been so disappointed with a film! The gulf between my expectation and what was delivered has never been so huge.

True to Tarantino's style, there were humorous bits, violent bits, gross bits, uncomfortable bits, and subtitled bits. Lot's and lots of subtitled bits. If I'd have wanted to read a book, I wouldn't have rented a movie! And with a book, the dialogue would have been better crafted. Also, I wouldn't have had the feeling I was destroying my eyesight by constantly refocusing my attention between the action and the subtitles.

In summary, the plot was great, the cast were great, the cinematography was great - but please - nearly two hours of subtitling in a film that lasts two and a half hours is just too damn much.

Rating: 5/10

Film Review: Surrogates

2010-09-01T13:09:00.003+01:00

As I watched Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis, on my Apple TV, I couldn't help thinking about a few of the absurdities that the movie fuelled.

The movie revolves around people having surrogate robots that they control for doing their everyday tasks, such as working and socialising. People with a Surrogate remain at home, wired up to a computer system that links them to their Surrogate using only thought and conciousness. The Surrogate then goes out into the real world and sends back sensory feedback to the controller.

Whilst I enjoy the idea of people having a robot that can perform their everyday tasks, I certainly don't want to be thinking about the task while the robot performs it! It defeats the purpose of having the robot!

Surely, if (or when) such a sophisticated machine is made, then one could be made to work autonomously, without the need for human input, other than it's initial programming.

However, even after accepting that a human 'meat bag' is required, I wasn't convinced that a robot that had super human powers would need to drive a car, take a bus, or ride the subway. Why didn't they run everywhere and avoid all of the commuter problems caused by vehicles!

I am sceptical about other technical parts of the film, but overall, viewing it is quite an enjoyable experience - if you can suspend your disbelief for a couple of hours!

Rating: 7/10

Film Review: Sherlock Holmes

2010-08-31T12:56:00.002+01:00

I was excited to see what Guy Ritchie would do with one of my all time favourite detectives in his film Sherlock Holmes. I've long been a fan of Ritchie's, since the early days of the brilliant Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the fantastic Snatch, and the more recent RocknRolla.

Sherlock Holmes stars Robert Downey Jr, as Holmes, and Jude Law as his ever present trusty sidekick, Dr Watson. These would not have been my first two choices to play the lead characters, however, they do work surprisingly well together. Thankfully, Downey's English accent isn't too cringe worthy!

The first thing you come to realise when watching the movie is that this is a very different Sherlock Holmes to the one you've been used to in the past. Holmes has found some remarkable fighting skills to accompany his undoubted intellectual abilities. With a strong element of violence, I couldn't see Basil Rathbone's Holmes acting the way Downey's does!

The story takes place in old London. The sets and locations are very well created and are suitably atmospheric. The plot revolves around the mysterious Lord Blackwood, played by Mark Strong, who returns from the dead in an attempt to take over the country. Blackwood is head of the Temple of the Four Orders, which seems to be a sort of a cross between The Masons and a black magic sect! Holmes and Watson must track Blackwood down and ultimately stop him from succeeding.

The action comes thick and fast, when it comes, but there seem to be large gaps in the film where nothing happens, or something happens that I don't care about. The narrative slows to a crawl at times and the links between scenes can seem very drawn out.

There are some very innovative moments though. Some scenes are introduced in a sort of Flash Forward, where we are treated to the thought process of Holmes, and see how a scene will unfold, before it unfolds. This is very clever, however, it is underused in my opinion. I'd like to have seen it employed a bit more liberally.

There is also an element of humour that runs throughout the film, mostly as throw away one liners, but amusing nonetheless.

All in all I was a little disappointed with Sherlock Holmes. The cast was good, the acting was good, the locations were good, but the running time was too long to keep the interest and the plot was mediocre. I expect something cerebral from Sherlock Holmes. Cerebral was something that this film did not offer.

Rating: 6/10

Film Review: Avatar

2010-08-30T09:43:00.002+01:00

I recently watched Avatar, the hit movie written and directed by James Cameron, the man behind such blockbusters such as Terminator 2, Aliens and Titanic.

I have to admit to being a little disappointed.

There was a lot of hype when the movie first hit the big screens, and justifiably so. The graphical effects are astonishing. Some scenes are literally breathtaking. The merging of what is computer generated, and what is real is some of the best I've ever seen.

However, effects can only carry a film so far in my opinion. A film's interest needs to be maintained by a good plot, interesting characters and a great script. Unfortunately, this is where Avatar fails for me.

For a start, there is no character development at all. I find this very hard to believe in a movie that runs for two hours and forty minutes. The script is very predictable. Basically, an evil force invades peaceful world to mine for a mineral called unobtainium! Make your own minds up about any parallels you notice with real life events.

The effects are spectacular, the action is quite thrilling, but there's not enough to keep me engrossed for the whole running time, which is a shame.

Rating: 7/10 (for the effects)

Film Review: The Hurt Locker

2010-04-22T15:57:00.001+01:00

The Hurt Locker is the film that beat Avatar to most of the Oscars this year. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker is about a crack squad of bomb disposal experts operating in Iraq.

The well organised team are thrown into disarray when their commanding officer is killed, and his replacement, Sergeant William James, seems to have a death wish. He recklessly puts his new team into dangerous situations and appears to enjoy the adrenalin rush of the job a little too much.

The story follows the team through their last thirty-something days of deployment in Iraq. It's shot rather like a documentary, with most of the camera work being done hand-held.

Some of the cinematography is very good, with some of the locations appearing to be very authentic.

There isn't much dialogue though, and there isn't much actual acting going on either. There isn't much of anything really. People get blown up, people get shot at, and people get angry with one another.

I have a few problems with the movie as a whole. None of the characters are developed enough so I don't really care about any of them. There also doesn't seem to be any sort of chain of command within their unit. The three man bomb disposal team seem to do pretty much anything they want - which even includes hunting down insurgents in the streets of Baghdad, at night, without any backup!

I'm not at all sure why it won so many Oscars. I'm obviously missing something. I didn't find it entertaining at all. Actually, people being blown up probably made it a bit too realistic to be entertaining, which I could understand if it were a documentary, but it wasn't informative either. Finally, the obsessively shaky camera work gave me a headache!

Rating: 5/10

Book Review: Bloody Mary

2010-04-07T18:33:00.000+01:00

This is the second book in the Jack Daniels series of police procedurals, and Bloody Mary picks up right where Whiskey Sour left off.

The story revolves around catching a serial killer who delights in leaving severed limbs with clues attached to them. The bad news for Jack is that the clues are all related back to her! As expected, Jack and her partner Herb take on the job of catching this maniac.

The action is pretty much non stop all the way through from beginning to end. There's lots of blood and guts and general goriness, but there's also a rich vein of humour running through each chapter.

I love the way Konrath structures his books and am amazed at how quickly I find myself consuming them. I enjoyed this one immensely and can't wait to read the next in the series!

Rating: 9/10

Film Review: Dog Day Afternoon

2010-04-03T14:08:00.002+01:00

Dog Day Afternoon stars Al Pacino and was released in 1975. It's another one of those films that I was sure that I'd seen, but it turned out that I hadn't!

The film portrays the true story of the robbery of the First Savings Bank of Brooklyn by Sonny Wortzik, played by Pacino, and his friend Sal (John Cazale).

Sonny is a first time bank robber, and as it turns out, not a very good one! Things start to go wrong right from the start, with the bank being surrounded by hundreds of cops only minutes after the robbery commences. Sonny and Sal are forced to take hostages.

A stand-off begins, with negotiations to release the hostages taking place between Sonny and a Detective Moretti (Charles Durning). What makes matters worse is that the whole saga is being played out in front of the media, on the nations TV sets, and to thousands of interested onlookers who have gathered at the scene.

It's believable, yet unbelievable that these events were allowed happen by the authorities! At times it almost feels like your watching a documentary, at other times, it's like watching a comedy. Pacino turns in an excellent performance, as do most of the cast, but Pacino is just fantastic!

I very much enjoyed this film. It's definitely not one of those formulaic bank heist movies! I dare you not to feel sorry for Sonny as the story unfolds!

Rating: 8/10

Book Review: Murder On The Orient Express

2010-04-01T23:22:00.000+01:00

I've just finished reading Agatha Christie's classic Poirot novel, Murder On The Orient Express.

I'm ashamed to say that even though I've been a long time crime fiction reader, and a great fan of the Poirot films and television adaptations, that this is the first time I've actually read anything by Agatha Christie. I think I always thought that the writing would be old fashioned, and that the text would be heavy going.

How wrong I was! From the opening chapter to the last, this story had me riveted, despite having seen the film many times.

As the plot thickens, and Poirot puts his little grey cells to work, the better and more convoluted the story gets. Even with only a few pages to go, I really had no idea of who had done the deadly deed!

I will definitely be putting a few more Christie novels onto my desired reading list

My rating: 8/10

Film Review: Murder, Inc

2010-03-30T23:53:00.000+01:00

Murder, Inc was a bit of a surprise to be honest!

I rented it because it had Peter Falk (Columbo) in it, and had originally thought the movie had been made in the 90's and that Falk would be playing an ageing mob boss.

How wrong could I have been? This was actually one of Falk's first movie roles. The film was released, to critical acclaim in 1960, and is based on real life events.

Falk plays a mobster who is contracted to perform hits for a mob boss called Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. The movie tells the tale of the rise and fall of organised crime from the perspective of law-man Burton Turkus (who's book it is based on).

There are solid performances from all the main players. The story hangs together well, and the fact that the movie is shot completely in black and white only adds to the drama of some scenes. I was quite surprised by the movies 18 certificate, considering it contains absolutely no violence! Well, not when you compare it to a film like Goodfellas!

This movie may not have had the "crash, bang, wallop" of today's multi-million pound blockbusters, but it told an interesting story of the dog-eat-dog world that was mob life in America during the 30's and 40's.

Falk's performance was particularly good and made a nice contrast to his more well known appearances as Columbo.

It's definitely worth a viewing.

Rating: 6/10

Google Template Designer

2010-03-27T14:08:00.009Z

I've just spent an enjoyable couple of hours playing with Blogger's new template designer tool - as you may have guessed from this blogs dramatic makeover!

The template designer provides a quick and easy method for completely transforming your blog. There are only four basic template styles to select from, but these can be completely customised by in terms of background, layout, colour and size.

In order to change many of the items that are now customisable, it was previously necessary to modify the templates underlying HTML, which was very confusing for beginners and experts alike!

The template can now be changed at the click of a button, and the effect of the change can be seen immediately by viewing the permanent preview window.

When you're happy with your layout, just click on the apply to blog button, and your blog will be transformed into a thing of beauty! Well, it will probably look at least a little better!

There is one word of caution however, if you've previously made any customisations to your blog's template via HTML, you may well lose them. For instance, I lost my Google Analytics tracking data, and had to delve into the HTML template to update it.

Oh well...

p.s. I've updated my photo blog too!!

Focus Stacking pt 2

2010-03-25T07:14:00.008Z

Whilst part 1 of this article considered why you may want to use focus stacking to produce images with a greater depth of field, part 2 deals with the practicalities of actually stacking multiple images.

Basically, we've taken our pictures, so how do we stack them?

My photographic work flow involves using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CS4, so I'm going to explain how to achieve focus stacking using these tools, however, other focus stacking tools are available! Try Googling focus stacking software for quite a comprehensive list...

Right, lets get on with it...

1) Get Images as Layers in Photoshop

Using Lightroom, we need to select the images we want to perform focus stacking on. After selecting the images, bring up the context sensitive menu and choose Edit In -> Open as Layers in Photoshop

Open As Layers

NOTE: If you're not using Lightroom, required images must be loaded into separate layers of a new Photoshop image.

2) Select All Layers

Once you have all of the images you require for stacking as separate layers in Photoshop, you need to ensure that all of the layers are selected. This can be achieved by selecting the first layer in the layer list, holding down the shift key, and then selecting the final layer in the layer list. All of the layers should appear to be selected, as in the image below.

Select All Layers

3) Auto Align Layers

Once all of the layers have been selected, we need to ensure that each image on each of the layers is aligned. The first step in doing this is selecting the Edit -> Auto-Align Layers menu item from the main menu.

Auto-Align Layers

4) Auto Projection

There are many different ways in which layers can be aligned. I've found that choosing the automatic projection option usually works well. This operation can take a minute or so to complete depending on how many layers are involved.

Auto Projection

5) Auto Blend Layers

Once the layers have been aligned, it's time to blend them together. We can do this by selecting Edit -> Auto-Blend Layers from the main menu.

Auto-Blend Layers

6) Stack Images

We must now select how we want to blend our layers together. Go ahead and choose Stack Images from the list. The time taken to perform this operation depends on the number of images being stacked, but in general, the time to completion will be in the order of minutes.

Stack Images

7) Finished

Once stacking is complete, you'll be presented with the final focus stacked image. If you used Lightroom to perform step 1, when the completed image is saved, it will be saved as a new image within the Lightroom catalogue.

Completed Image

I hope you find this simple guide to image focus stacking useful. I've been meaning to try this for quite some time, and didn't realise I had the tools to perform the task sitting on my Mac the whole time.

I'll definitely be trying this technique to capture some interesting insect macro shots when the warmer weather arrives...

Focus Stacking pt 1

2010-03-24T14:09:00.010Z

As anyone who has viewed either of my flickr sites (main photography site, garden photography site) will know, I love macro photography. I love the detail that can be resolved by using a macro lens. I love that using a macro lens can make information in a scene visible that couldn't have been seen in any other way. It means that everyday objects that could have previously been described as mundane, can take on a completely new existence, an exciting existence. An existence that is ripe for exploration.

Of course, this helps tremendously when you're trying to find something interesting to shoot and it's raining outside, and you can't find your Wellington's. You can just open up the kitchen drawer and pull out a fork, or a corkscrew, or find some old school pencils, or turn your attention towards that dripping tap. It's not your world that's your oyster, it's your kitchen! Or your car, or your office, or your garden, or your street, or, well, you get the picture...

It really is like exploring an entirely new world wherever you go.

One of the drawbacks of using a macro lens however, is the limited amount of depth of field available when you start getting close to your subject. Even using relatively small aperture values such as f/16 or f/22 may result in only a couple of millimetres of your subject being in sharp focus.

Compare the following three shots of damselflies. Each photograph is taken hand held, with an aperture wide enough to allow enough light to enter the camera to ensure camera shake doesn't blur the shot.

Taken at f/2.8 (wide open)

Taken at f/8

Taken at f/10

Even at the smallest aperture here, f/10, the whole depth of the damselfly is not in focus. At f/2.8 the damselfly almost disappears before your very eyes! That blue dot to the right is its tail!

So, how do we get greater depth of field? Well, we could just increase the depth of field on the lens, say to f/22. However, this would require a longer shutter speed, which may lead to camera shake, although this could overcome by using a tripod. Lenses usually have a sweet spot in terms of sharpness. This is usually obtained by operating the lens within a certain focal region, as a quick guide, this is normally between f/5.6 and f/11. It should be noted that lenses can only be stopped down so far before image quality degrades because of blurring, due to diffraction of light within the lens.

Another approach is to use a technique called focus stacking. Focus stacking involves taking multiple pictures, each picture focusing at a different point along the subject. Focus stacking allows each picture to be taken at the lenses optimal performance setting for sharpness. Images are then combined, or stacked, using software, to create the maximum depth of field.

Focussing on different points along the subject is best achieved by moving the lens closer to and further away from the subject, without changing the camera settings. This can either be done using a tripod equipped with a focussing rail, or by hand holding the camera and moving it backwards and forwards in relation to the subject. Alternatively, a tripod can be used and the lens can be focussed at a different points along the length of the subject whilst the camera remains stationary.

Here are some example images that require stacking.

You can see from the images above, how the focus shifts from the lettering on the left hand side of the bottle top, to the right. This means that, in theory, if the images can be combined, the lettering will be in sharp focus across the whole of the bottle top. So, the big question is, how do we stack them?

Well, that's a blog post for another day! :)

Continue to part 2 of this article...

Car Trouble Conclusion

2010-03-24T08:16:00.001Z

With my recent Car Trouble postings (part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), it got me wondering about how large companies like these are troubled by times of recession. It makes me think that they aren't troubled at all. Why else would they fail so spectacularly to get me into the driving seat of a new car?

It's not for the lack of trying... err, oh, hang on, it is! They just haven't tried hard enough. They've shown disinterest, stunning lack of ability to coordinate enquiries, have failed to listen, and have even gone as far as ignoring me.

My only conclusion is that car manufacturers have been unaffected by the economic downturn.

With petrol prices currently soaring for no apparent reason, I should seriously be considering a move to public transport - only that's completely useless too, unless you work in a big city!

Oh well...

*sigh*

Book Review: Killing Floor

2010-03-23T21:44:00.000Z

I've just finished reading Killing Floor by Lee Child.

Killing Floor is the first in the Jack Reacher series of novels.

Reacher is an ex-army type. He's a loner and a bit of a nomad. A man with no fixed abode. He's travelling the country when he just happens to stumble into something that will change his life!

I really enjoyed the fast paced manner of the story telling, and the detailed accounts of the action. Some of the fight scenes were very well choreographed and written, but were quite gruesome.

The dialogue between the main protagonists was natural and well formed, and the relationships between the characters was well described, and not overly complicated.

If you can get over the one huge coincident in the plot, then you'll find that the story is very good. How the criminals are intending to pull off their dastardly deeds will keep you guessing until fairly late on in the book. It really is quite clever.

I very much enjoyed this first Jack Reacher outing and will definitely be digging into the rest of the series.

Rating: 8/10