Small Details - Day 125 #CY365

Blades from a Gillette Fusion razor at 5x magnification. At this level of magnification you can clearly see the grinding marks from the placing of the edge on the blades. Canon, 13 seconds at f/16.0, ISO 100, MP-e 65mm macro lens, lit with a Litepanels Micro LED light, mounted on a tripod.

A Little Bit - Day 4 #CY365

Today's theme was "A little bit", so Cindy suggested a little drill bit. This is a 1/16" drill bit photographed with a macro lens at 4X magnification. It illustrates the smallness of the drill bit with small specks of dust along the edges and the extremely shallow depth of field a macro lens creates. At this 4X magnification and f/5.6 aperture the depth of field (area in focus) is about the width of drill bit itself.

Canon 5D Mark II, 1/80 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 65mm MP-E macro lens with lighting provided by two LED Litepanels positioned on either side about two inches away.

Phillips

- Henry F. Phillips commercialized the crosshead self-centering screw design that today bears his name. The Philips screw was first introduced by GM on its 1936 Cadillac assembly line and rapidly sweep through the U.S. auto industry. Today it is still the most popular screw design in use. This is a 4X macro photo of a very small precision Pozi Drive #0 Phillips bit. Notice the wear and grain in the stainless steel. Canon 40D, 1.3 sec @ f/16, ISO 800, 65mm MP-E macro lens.

Ignition

A match at the instant of ignition. Canon Digital Rebel XTi, 1/125 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, Canon Macro MPE 65mm lens, tripod and focusing rails used.

Shavings

From 2010 Blog

- I was emptying the pencil sharpener tonight and the bright green flecks of paint from my new goHRT.com pencils caught my eye. I guess it was my early training in drafting that made me a fan of the humble pencil. The author John Steinbeck was an obsessive pencil user and is said to have used as many as 60 a day. His novel East of Eden took more than 300 pencils to write. Canon 40D, 1/200 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 800, 50mm macro lens with the life size converter.

Achoo!

From 2010 Blog

- Pine Pollen is everywhere! After a couple of 80 degree days the pine pollen is so thick it even looks like a light fog in the early mornings. This pollen was layered on our recycle bin lid. The 5X macro shows the individual grains pretty well even though there is only a narrow band in sharp focus. The macro lens at this magnification with a relatively wide aperture has a depth of field of only a couple of millimeters. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800, Canon 65mm MP-E macro lens.

The Cutting Edge

From 2010 Blog

- This is the real "cutting edge". A 5X super macro photo of the edge of a carving knife. I was inspired to break out the 65 mm MPE macro lens after viewing the awesome macro work of Cait Wade. I kind of cheated using a dedicated macro lens as compared to her DIY "semi-ghetto" technique using stacked and reversed standard lenses. Canon 7D, 1/10 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400.

Ouch?

From 2010 Blog

At first glance these appear to be sharp prick-lies. Actually it is an extreme close-up of the fine soft surface of an African violet leaf. I took this photo last night after the bloom picture that was featured on yesterday's post. Canon 7D, 1/50 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 65mm MP-E macro lens.

Close Up

From 2010 Blog

Flowers have amazing details when you look really close. This African violet bloom was photographed with a super macro lens at about 2X magnification. African violets get their common name from the place of origin, Tanzania in east Africa and their resemblance to true violets. Canon 7D, 1/100 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, 65mm MP-E macro lens and light from a micro LED Litepanel.

Lucifer

From Light a Match

The first "friction match" was invented by English chemist John Walker in 1826. These first matches were sold as lucifer matches. Lucifers reportedly could ignite explosively, sometimes throwing sparks at a considerable distance. In the Netherlands matches are still called lucifers. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/3 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 65mm MP-E macro mounted on a tripod.

266 - Shaking Like a Leaf

From 365 Project

I often hear the expression "shaking like a leaf" to describe when someone was nervous or frightened. I was taking a macro photo of this fern tip tonight and put a lot of effort into capturing a tack sharp image. I used my tripod, focusing rail and carefully waited for all of the movement to stop before using a cable release to fire the camera. I got some nice sharp macro images but they just weren't satisfying. So I took another photo just after slightly taping the fern stem to put it in motion and I really liked the effect. I hope you find it pleasing as well. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/3 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 400, 65mm macro lens at 1X magnification. Back lighting from a Micropanel LED.

264 - Double Nickel

From 365 Project

Today is my birthday so I thought I'd try to pay tribute to the occasion. This macro close-up of two nickels, one of the old series and one of the new series, shows the toll that the years take on coins as they bang together in pockets, cash drawers and vending machines. I hope nobody takes a 1X macro photo of me, I suspect I've fared worse than the nickels. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/60 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 200, 65mm macro lens. Lighting provided by two manual strobes on either side fired through the white sides of a Light Shed. I used slightly different power levels, one at 1/4 and one at 1/8 to help contrast the coins. Converted to black and white in Photoshop Elements using Silver Efex Pro.

246 - Aliens?

From 365 Project

This small flower has an almost alien feel to it. It comes from a stringy vine that appears in August on a number of my bushes. It is very small and delicate. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/250 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 800, 65mm macro at approximately 2.5/1, lighting with off camera strobe at 1/64 power.

188 - Will you walk into my parlor?

From 365 Project

said the Spider to the Fly,
'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy;
This pretty little parlor caught my eye.
What to do,
but take a picture or two.
OK, poetry is not my thing but the unusual spider web is pretty and cool. Read the real poetry, The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt. Canon 40D, 1.3 seconds @ f/16.0, 65mm Canon MP-E Macro on a tripod.

170 - I wouldn't hurt a fly.

From 365 Project

With all of the news about the fate of one fly this week, I couldn't resist this little guy for today's post. These tiny green flies sit nice and still while having their portrait made. A super macro shot hand held with with the Canon MP-E 65mm lens. The depth of field with this lens is measured in millimeters but the results are worth the effort. Canon 40D, 1/50 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800.

133 - Silicon

From 365 Project

This is a silicon wafer containing about 750 Intel 386 processors. Even though it is over 15 years old, I still marvel at the hundreds of processors each with their millions of microscopic transistors. Here's a link to a super closeup photo of a single processor from this wafer. Canon G10, 1/20 sec at f/4.5, ISO 400.

128 - Clover Flower

From 365 Project

This is a super macro shot of a small clover flower. The blossom is less than 1/2 inch across so the small insect, which looks like a cricket is very tiny. Canon 40D, 1/80 sec at f/8.0, ISO 800, 4x macro at 65mm.

120 - Razors Edge

From 365 Project

Blades from a Gillette Fusion razor at 5x magnification. At this level of magnification you can clearly see the grinding marks from the placing of the edge on the blades. Canon 40D, 13 seconds at f/16.0, ISO 100, 65mm macro lens, lit with a Litepanels Micro LED light.

115 - Pollen Awaits

From 365 Project

These bright yellow anthers form a bearded iris in my yard contain pollen sacs. The sacs release pollen on to the outside of the anthers that brush against insects on entering the flowers. This is a 4x macro shot made with my Canon 40D at 1/125 of a second at f/9.0, ISO 400 using a Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 lens.