So what’s a granule?

By Rex Dolby

“Granules” will be the competition theme in prints and slides when the Wassenberg Camera Club meets Thursday, October 13, at  7 p.m. at the Wassenberg Art Center.

Granules are defined as small grains of material. Possibly sand is one of the first materials to come to mind, but if you are a cook, sugar, salt, pepper, nuts or cheese may be high on your list. If you enjoy woodworking, abrasives such as flint, garnet, aluminum oxide or silicone carbide are on your list as well as sharpening stones and diamond chips on grinding and cutting tools.

A geologist might include the gypsum forming the White Sands in New Mexico and the material in the sedimentary rocks.  A farmer or lawn caretaker would consider the seeds and some forms of the fertilizer they use.

Another heavy use of granules is the coating the roofing industry puts on shingles. In astronomy, the sun’s spots are referred to as granules. If you are a meteorologist, hail or sleet may come to mind. You get the idea.

To best photograph granules, you will want to use a macro lens to capture the details and use a light source at a low angle to cast some shadows so the material is more easily seen. You will need a small lens opening to maximize the depth of field, which will call for a slow shutter speed to capture enough light.  Those settings will necessitate a tripod to minimize camera shake.

This is a subject not often chosen and given the wide range of possibilities, should produce some unique images. Visitors should find this an interesting evening, plus they can view the 34th Annual Wassenberg Photography Exhibit.