Close-up views

By Rex Dolby

Macro will be the competition theme when the Wassenberg Camera Club meets Thursday, April 12, at 7 p.m. at the Wassenberg Art Center. Pictures of subjects from a  1:1 ratio to greater than life scale will be viewed to determine the best photos of the month in prints and slides.  This is an open meeting, so plan to come and see some special images.

Some might ask what is needed to achieve a good macro photo. I would suggest that the key is having the necessary pieces of equipment, and the second is to learn how to use them.

Gather one of the following: a macro lens, close-up lens adapter, reversal ring, closeup lens kit, or an extension tube kit. Next you’ll need a tripod, preferably one with an elevation post that allows you to get the lens from close to nearly touching the table top. This is where a single lens reflex (SLR) camera becomes ideal, so you can see exactly what the lens reveals. Finally, you need a source of light that will shine into that thin space between the lens and subject. You may also want a reflector that can bounce the light back from the opposite side of the light source.

If you plan to use sunlight to illuminate the subject, your session will need to take place while the sun is near the horizon so it can shine below the lens.  From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the sun will cast a shadow from your camera over the subject. One way to possibly shoot just before or after this time would be to create your own reflector.

Simply cut a rectangle from the side of something like a cereal box and coat the surface with strips of double-stick tape. Cut a matching rectangle of aluminum foil and stick it to the cardboard.  Bend the surface to suit, and hold it up with two spring clothes pins or spring clamps. With a little trial and error, you should be able to reflect the sun right where you need it.

If that’s not your style, a ring flash may be the answer. This is a ring of lights that encircle the lens and list any where from $20-$519 per unit.

If you have a flash that can be used off the camera and you have thru-the-lens metering, placing the flash on a mini-tripod priced from  $16-$45 and using your home-made reflector on the other side may provide all the illumination you will need.

Does all this sound too___ (you fill in the blank). You might try to get as close as you can, take several exposures, enlarge the image to its maximum size and still be sharp, and print. I would equate it to fishing from the bank with a cane pole or to the bank from a bass boat with the latest casting rod. The results sometimes can be the same, but I don’t know about the personal satisfaction. What’s your opinion?

Don’t forget the club’s $5 Discount Cards.  Contact the club’s secretary at 419.238.4545 or the Wassenberg Art Center at 419.238.6837 to purchase cards or information about them.