So while we’re on the topic of Magi, because Magi come up all the time, we have a bit of a Christmas navigation problem to solve. It’s a small problem. But, you’re probably going to celebrate about 70 Christmases in your life, so getting the bugs worked out of your grasp of the story isn’t [...]
From the mad scientist video lab comes: Variable Depth of Field Images.
Variable DOF images are interactive photos that allow you to change the focal point of the photo while you view it. You click on a part of the image and that part of the image pops into focus. In other words, the focal point is "variable."
When I learned how to do this, it triggered my evil laugh reflex and I had to experiment. Here are a couple of my hastily assembled attempts.
At least we have lights. I’ll be honest. I have a very lukewarm attitude about Christmas. Celebrating Christmas is like going to a carnival at the library. Except for Christmas lights. I like Christmas lights. Photos after the break… Every year I am hushed with awe and wonder at the meaning of the season. And [...]
The hand-me-down table that was the only bit of my housewares my classy wife would allow into our lives together has met it’s shabby matchwith this hand-built farm table.
A kitchen table is important to us. It’s the place where you spend lazy Saturday mornings reading and sipping coffee. It’s where friends gather. Where we converse. Where we live.
Ever since we moved we’ve been on the lookout for a dinning table that would fit our space.When we couldn’t find one we liked through the usual channels, Sarah discovered a nifty little shop near downtown McKinney where they’d make a farm table to order. The wood is reclaimed from an old front porch – floor boards for the top and porch columns for the legs.
Sarah didn’t know about the accent drawer. That was a little surprise from me.
Bret helped me haul the table and matching bench home today. The nice thing about finding beat up furniture is that any accidental scratches just add to the look. But all the same, don’t get any ideas, Brown Dog.
The macro bellows allows you to use any of your lenses as a macro. Basically, you're increasing the magnification factor of your lens by extending the distance between your lens and your camera's sensor. It's a decidedly low-tech, low cost method. But, it does the job.
Quick Review
Overall, I'm pretty impressed with how the bellows works. It feels solid, attaches firmly to lens and camera, and lends your rig a decidedly old school photography vibe. It's Ansel all the way. And, it gives you some serious magnification power. With a little experimentation, I was easily getting 3:1 ratios. That's 3x actual size of the object. That's pretty sweet.
Downside? As you'll see in the photos below, this thing isn't exactly portable. Although to be honest, you're not exactly going to be going run-n-gun on those macro shots, are you?
Here's a look at how it works. For more sample shots and sample video footage, check out my real blog over at wildthoughts.net
