*hops around like a mad woman running solely on caffeine and pixie stix* Damn skippy! Switchin' to bigger thumbnails on this one, baybee...
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Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about, people. I love my new ... wait, is it a 'closeup lens' or a 'macro filter'? Whatever it is, I wanna marry it. No, really. Wouldn't you?
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I sat on my living room floor for a couple of hours, testing out all sorts of ways to get a decent closeup and I'm finally happy with my results. I would have uploaded larger images, but I thought these were a good enough res to show them off without taking a million years to load. This is just a small, glass/crystal/I dunno goblet that, I believe, was a favor from someone's wedding. I just love how the light refracts and swirls around all the li'l nooks and crannies of the design. A shame the darn thing is so nicked and scratched; it woulda been awesome if it were new. Not to mention if I had thought to wipe my damn fingerprint off the surface. D'oh.
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Apparently, one of the secrets is staying -very- still and having adequate lighting. And no matter how still you think your hands are, they're not still enough.. I learned that the hard way. As I've mentioned before, I have no fancy equipment, but I do believe I need to invest in a tripod. For these pics, though, I used a combination of a two second timer and a pack of cigarettes to raise/steady the camera. High tech, eh? :D Usually, I kinda wing it and make due with what's handy, cheap, and useful. When there's a lack of sunlight, I use a small goose-neck desk lamp with a $5 'daylight' bulb. You know, those weird squiggly ones. Even my new lens.... *hears a chorus of angels singing whenever she types the word 'lens', looking off and into the distance; seemingly lost in a day dream....*
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Hmm? Oh... yeah. Right. What was I saying? Oh, yes. My lens. Even my new lens was basically on the cheap, compared to a lot of others I've seen with similar features. I have to keep reminding myself that this is just a hobby and I don't need all the gear, so I'm being choosy on what I spend my dough on. I'm happy to say I think I made a very good investment of, oh, $30 or so, give or take shipping, for this beauty.
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Heh, obviously, since the lens is /in/ the picture, I couldn't use it to /take/ the picture... so, well, it's not as clear, but I kinda like the hint of abstractness it has. Yay me.
I am so a happy camper, right now.
