Needle and Thread
When in doubt, get the macro lens out.
Pressups – 22,17,17,15,22 – Week 3, Day 2, Level 2 completed. Just. I almost didn’t complete the last set as the cat decided to walk underneath me and almost got squashed.
PaulSeward.com
Photos of Phones and Phonographs (occasionally)
Dark Angel
Hiding on the side of a decanter.
Ready to pounce
Today was a bit frantic at work, and it’s only going to get more so over the next 4 weeks. I’ve been dreading this stage of the project, I’ve got to keep up with the photos while working silly hours.
In pressup news, I passed day 1 of week 3! Yay! – 20,15,15,13,22 which is level 2. My current plan is to complete the week on level 2, then retake it next week on level 3. I want to do it right!
New camera!
Yes, I’ve collected yet another old camera. This one belonged to my Gran, and I remember playing with it in her back garden when I was a child. The optics look pretty clear, and the camera appears to be in working order. I’ve put a film in it, and I’ll try and shoot some exposures during the week. Once I’ve worked out what all the controls do.
What lens should I buy?
Don’t worry, this isn’t my photo for today – it’s just an additional post while I try and get my shopping list in order.
I’ve been trying to work out what lens I should buy next, and this morning I realised that my gallery software collects exif data for each image and stores it in the database. One sql statement and a spreadsheet later and it would appear that I shoot more photos at 135mm than I do any other focal length (which is actually where my lens performs least well!) and 26-115mm seems to be a fairly even spread, slightly clustering around a 50mm full frame equivalent.
The sample size is too small for any real analysis (and is incomplete as it only represents the 139 images I have exif data for) , but I think I’d probably get most use out of a new 70-200mm keeping my current lens for the 18-70mm range. Possibly adding a cheap 50mm prime to the mix.
Damn.
That’s the expensive solution!
New Lens!
Today I bought a body cap, and decided to make myself a new lens out of a disposable camera in the hope that I’d get some kind of holga-ish-crap-lens-effect. This is the result.
It’s not bad, I like the vignetting – it’s a little too out of focus though. The disposable camera lens was mounted much closer to the film plane than I can get it on my DSLR (any closer than this and it fouls the mirror) I’m not sure, but I may be able to fix this with a second disposable lens.
More experimentation needed!
Wet look book
This childrens book was on a piece of land where a prefab bungalow used to stand. The bungalow has been demolished to make way for a new sheltered housing development – this must have belonged to the old man who lived there until recently, I wonder if if was a favourite of his grandchildren. So sad to see it abandoned in the wet grass.
Bristol Cathedral
Not my best effort ever, but it’s 3 minutes to midnight and too late to shoot anything else.
I like the location, I’m just not too keen on the lens/perspective distortion or the exposure. Or the light. Or the whole “a bit touristy” feel. Late evening would probably work better, possibly with a position a little closer to the statue. One to revisit I think.
Polishing my boxes
I can’t be the only person reading this who has a similar collection of small brass boxes [1] – I do have others but for some reason I can’t find them at the moment. However, I’m probably the only person who has spent the evening polishing my boxes.
One day, I’ll put some effort into doing something more with them.
[1] Left to right we have a Bhudda, Okito, Boston and Load boxes
I done made a thing!
The Ducti wallet that J gave me for Christmas about 3 years ago has finally given up (There’s a hole right through it!) – So I made a replacement. I’m not 100% sure about the pink stripe, but it’s not structural so I can take it off if need be.
It was all done free hand with no measuring or plans, so the cards are a little bit snug – but it’s functional