Since June is Photography and Video month here at MAKE, we’re focusing (so to speak) on project documentation. To coincide with this theme, I decided to try out Fotodiox’s Macro Bellows, which is available for both Canon and Nikon SLRs. A macro bellows allows lenses that otherwise don’t have a close focus distance to get […]
I’ve come across a few different ways to attach a lens to a smartphone and I have to say that this macro lens mod from Bangalore maker Bharath P has got to be one of the more novel. Using some epoxy putty he mounted a lens from a cheap pair of binoculars directly ahead of the camera lens on a Nexus One by adhering it to a salvaged mini-jack plug.
Recently, I came across photographer Michael Paul Smith, who has an online showcase of his miniature scene photographs.
I asked him to tell of his process, influences and techniques.
I first start off with some very rough sketches on the particular building I’m thinking of making. Really, they are mere scribbles, but they capture the key points of the structure. I have to ask myself questions like: when was this building built and in what style of architecture. Has this building been added to over the years and if so, in what way.
If you walk down the center of town, and really study the buildings, you can see their history.
For what I’m doing, my structures have to be generic enough so they don’t look too unusual, yet they have to have some character to them to make them interesting.
I also study photographs from the past. There are books out entitled Then and Now, which show photographs of buildings taken in the 1890’s and also in the present at the exact same spot. These are very telling because you can see how drastically or subtly things have changed. I want my models to have the feeling that they have traveled in time.
Pringles-can lens extender produces dazzling ultra close-ups for peanuts. Thanks go to Haje Jan Kamps for the original article in MAKE, Volume 06. To download The Macro Photography On a Budget video click here and subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Macro Photography On a Budget article in MAKE, Volume 06 and you can […]
Pringles-can lens extender produces dazzling ultra close-ups for peanuts. Thanks go to Haje Jan Kamps for the original article in MAKE, Volume 06. View the PDF of this project. and then subscribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend.
Taking advantage of the increased resolution and new autofocus capabilities of the iPhone 3GS to shoot close-up stills has just gotten a little easier thanks to Derrick Story’s DIY Copy Stand for the iPhone 3GS.
Weird Weird Science posted this extreme zooming video on the structure of steel – quite awesome. They have video for concrete, brass, aluminium and more available as well. – Weird Weird Science on Dailymotion Should you prefer a little more color & motion, check out Trey’s macro video of a plasma ball in action –
