On This Day – March 4, 2019

Macro Photography

I think we dodged the predicted foot of snow, It seems to be abating somewhat. The temperature is above freezing which is a good sign. I’ve been taking a look back at photos taken on this day and found that in 2019, I took a series of photos of things I found in the cellar. These were shot with an Olympus E-M1 Mark II camera with the Olympus M.60mm F2.8 Macro lens. I did some experimentation with focus stacking because at these magnifications, the depth of field is very narrow.

Let there be light

I have a jar full of 12 volt incandescent bulbs. Seems rather silly to keep them since most automobiles use LED lighting but I’m nostalgic about old technologies. I can’t think of an time when I would actually use these for anything else than this photo.

Speaking of automotive items

Next to the jar of bulbs there is one filled with automotive fuses. They are colored coded for the current rating. Like the bulb they have been around forever. They do make a good subject for a close up.

Firepower

In 2007 my nephew and I blasted away at an innocent desktop computer with a MAC-10. Later I shook out the .45 caliber slugs and collected the shell casings. I kept those in a jar next to the lightbulbs and fuses. The remains of the computer went in the metal recycling bin.

Seven years later when I was looking for something that might look interesting as a macro shots, those distorted slugs and shell casings came to mind. The question that might come to mind is why did I keep these for over seven years. That is a question I cannot answer but I intend to leave these to my children to cherish after I pass.

At this magnification the depth of field is very narrow.

Feathers

Coronet film-strip

One of the treasures I found at the Green Center was a film strip projector. This one was older than the ones I remember in school, a vintage item probably from the 1940s. It came with several film strips. I believe this one was about adolescence, something they would show us in 7th and 8th grade.

I took some macro photos of the film canisters and filmstrip

Getting a bit closer.

Metal teeth

My father had a rather dangerous item that was supposed to strip off paint. Apparently it was attached to an electric drill and the spinning teeth would grind off layers of paint. I suppose it could easily remove layers of skin and bone. It is a good subject for macro work.

Coming soon

The Olympus M.60mm is a true macro lens that is capable of 1:1 magnification. This is close but I was excited to learn that OM Systems has a released a macro lens capable of 2:1 magnification. I hope to get this lens and delve deeper into the world of small things.