Latest Posts by penjet - Page 3

Lettering for magazines by Jackson Alves

My son creates these small paper sculpture-creations using the remnants of tissue rolls. The sphere is from the cardboard tube, and the cube is from some of the tissue. They are really unique texturally.

I shot them on a reflective black surface using an inexpensive LED shoplight, overcast daylight ambient, and a white reflector (all played fairly nicely together). Used the ubiquitous"kit lens" (18-55mm, f4) for the 'macro'/closeups with the inexpensive Photodiox tubes. The Canon "nifty-fifty" provided the other shots.

Experiment Water droplets. One of my sons jokingly quipped that this could be done with paint, milk, or pigs blood. I used water and a glass pyrex dish that I could slide paper under (which accounts for the pyrex logo in every shot…sigh…should've used an unbranded dish or a plastic container).

I also used colored paper as flash reflectors, and an off-camera YN560II flash aimed at the  paper. Used another reflector opposite (almost camera-left) angled a bit. Had some ambient daylight as well.

You need to manually focus on the point where your water droplets fall (AF won't lock in on it otherwise) and use a tripod. I shot at sync speed (1/200 for Canon consumer-end) manual flash, 1/4 to 1/2 for most shots.

You'll get the feel for your flash and camera on this exercise. It is ALL timing. The coveted "crown splash" shot (top) was literally in 3–4 out of over 170 shots.

Want to try again sometime with constants (my LED hardware store light and a few Fluorescent clip lamps).

Experiment Inexpensive aluminum macro tubes (I bought the PHOTODIOX brand WITHOUT the camera digital contacts). This means NO APERTURE control, and manual focusing only. You can see that you have very low depth of field in the bottom three shots. I read about an aperture trick (you set the aperture, then click on the aperture lock, and unscrew the lens while the camera is live and add the macro tubes). In theory this may attract dust to sensor, so not sure about doing it frequently. Used that on the dime, but it was also on a fairly flat plane.

Tripod is mandatory for these, as you sometimes have to take longer exposures as you get extremely close (could have tried new LED hardware store floods, but instead played around with available window daylight). 

Will have to try future tests with strobes and constants.

Experiment Photos of small tin toy robots (spontaneous decision around 11pm). Trying out a very inexpensive LED work floodlight from the hardware store. Used wax paper for a slight diffusion, and a piece of letter-sized, white typing paper for the backdrop. No tripod–just laying on my stomach on the ground shooting. The super closeups are using the macro tubes. The rest are kit lens and nifty fifty using only the LED in the room with little ambient.

jjhart93.tumblr.com asked some cheaper alternatives to Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, I found these, well to be honest, I just went to Wikipedia and check which ones worth the download effort and put a link to them, check them out:

Ability Photopaint

ACD See

PhotoImpression 6.5...

homemade camera bag... 7 bucks from hardware store. SUPER tough, double stitched canvas (it is for tools y'know), strong strap. I custom cut some high density foam for the interior, and felted it for a custom fit to the camera. Its a great camera bag for when don't want to carry around the aluminum case (also a repurposed toolbox--with room for lenses, triggers, etc.)

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Given the means--I'd spend time in every nation.

Shot a few tests with camera. Not happy with the focus overall, but thought this had a neat look. Deleted most of the shots on import.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mco402Xx3D1rjfco4o3_1280.jpg

A great shot taken by a pretty great kid. He used a bridge camera to capture this spot  just feet away from busy traffic and city noise. The feeling of this lagoon-y area seems like the kind of secluded spot that you can refocus on life in.

Another cellphone shot! I absolutely love how powerful the phone cams have become. They may not be technically the greatest, but emotionally they satisfy that need to capture a moment in time ubiquitously. This was take from a courthouse window, while I was waiting in a jury pool. It was through a plate window, and yet the versatility of the camera allows for pretty decent shots.

The suspension of a bridge while driving. My wife took this on my cellphone camera while we were crossing. It amazes me how versatile camera phones are! she held the camera near the dash (not against the glass) and got a decent shot off. I only wish the light post wasn't in the shot, but traveling at freeway speeds in traffic doesn't afford those luxuries.

My wife also took some phone cam shots of this (like minds). It's the underside of a freeway overpass. Besides loving the fact that it is so neatly lit, I love the way it gets abstracted... almost like the bridge of a stringed instrument.

Raison D'etre...

Just to picture-share with family, friends, and other folks who may "get me." I post when I  have enough stuff to justify it, and when I have enough spare time. The subject content is dependent on my daily whim, and hopefully something you'll find moderately cool. I may share the occasional cool article as well.