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Camera Club Close-up Photography Demo


dkCambridgeshire

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Peterborough Photographc Society asked asked me to demonstrate some basic close-up photography techniques for their 'Practical Photography Evening' last night - so decided to use my X Vario with Leitz Elpro VIb close-up lenses. Unfortunately I was so busy explaining the apparatus and technique that I forgot to take any photos of the lighting set-up. Objective was to give the illusion that the subjects were floating above OOF background.

 

Camera was on a Kaiser copy stand; subjects were supported/placed on a sheet of glass which itself was supported on blocks of wood 1ft above the copy stand's baseboard; baseboard was covered in: a) silver baking foil - matt side up and very slightly dented / crinkled - to provide an out of focus textured background beneath the glass … or,  b ) transilluminated translucent tube made from drafting film. Two Elpro VIb supplementary close-up lenses were screwed onto the camera lens via a custom made Series VI to 43mm stepping ring. 

 

Illumination via 4 Ikea Jansjo swan neck LED lamps costing just £10 each … fitted with home made paper snoots, Subjects surrounded by 5 inch diameter, 5 inch high, translucent 'tube' diffusers … sometimes one … sometimes two, one inside the other, made from engineering drafting film. 

 

Exposures were of the order f8 to f10 , 1/5 second … ISO 200 … using the camera's 2 second self timer faciilty … and bracketed from 1/3 under exposure to 1/3 over exposure … using both the camera's 'Natural' (colour) and 'Black & White' film modes … File Format JPG Super Fine. 

 

 

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Engraved antique silver match box approx 6cm high

 

 

 

Pewter Feather brooch  5cm wide

 

 

 

Gold & Pearl Flower Brooch 5cm wide

 

 

 

UK 50pence 'Boxing' coin from The Royal Mint London 2012 Olympic Sports Collection. This is a nickel silver coin but the lighting gives the illusion that the coin is black with silver relief. 

 

 

 

Club members enjoyed the demo and were surprised that "supplementary close-up lenses on a bridge camera" are capable of reasonable results. I rehearsed the set-up at home over a 4 hour period with a variety of subjects. At the presentation, apparatus took 30 minutes to assemble and test followed by approx 90 minutes of explanation and demonstration.

 

There is a lot of criticism of 'camera clubs' but members enjoy their photography and the opportunities to learn and use new techniques.

 

dunk

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Excellent result Dunk, and wonderful pictures. A shame no "set-up looked like this" shots, but maybe next time.

Wonderful.

Gary

 

Thank you Gary. These older lighting set-up illustrations show the method … but nowadays I use simpler 'stand-alone' tube form diffusers … not the Mk I type margarine carton with windows:

 

 

 

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Best wishes

 

dunk

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Stunning results from that set-up.

 

Paul

 

Thank you Paul. The XV has one of THE finest zoom lenses ever designed/manufactured and is very under-rated … and was very under-appreciated 'at birth' because of all of the unwarranted negativity from those who know so little about optics and who failed miserably to recognise its pedigree. And the Elpro c/u lenses suit the lens admirably. 

 

dunk

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