08-24-11 – Barren Macro

Question for rav: Would a husk of an animal be ok? As in, like a snake sheds its skin when it gets too big for it, would taking a picture of the shed skin be ok? I ask because I got something similar today, but from a dragonfly, or rather a former dragonfly larva. If not, I’m quite sure I can find something else to work with this, I just thought it was cool.

I took a walk this morning brainstorming for this theme. Whilst strolling along the park, the word “Bubbles” drifted into my mind like…well, bubbles on the wind. Whistling a merry tune I did my best Silly Walk to the local purveyors of Soap and Glycerine Mixtures in small plastic bottles packaged with a tiny appendage boasting an aperture from which the exhalation of oxygen and carbon dioxide would produce floating spheres, or, the 99 Cent Store.

Arriving at my domicile, I did a brief search upon the Internets for tips upon my endeavor. Fortified with the information I removed my cardboard box light tent, stapled a dark blue pillow case on the back and used a paper clip to stand the bubble wand on. I removed the cat from the cardboard box light tent. My idea was to photograph the bubbles as the left the wand, the so clamped the wand into place and removed the cat from the cardboard box light tent. I focused on the the wand, zooming in to true macro 1:1 ratio. I placed my flash off camera to the left at a 45 degree angle with a radio trigger. I placed the second radio trigger on the camera’s PC port so I could fire the camera and flash remotely while leaning in to blow the bubble. I removed the cat from the cardboard box light tent. I checked my focus, loaded the wand, check my focus and then went back to breath. The bubble mixture had ran out of the wand. I reloaded the wand, removed the cat from the cardboard box light tent, reloaded the wand, leaned in, exhaled and blew the most amazing bubble. Just as the bubble was forming on the wand I triggered the camera and the flash. The flash did not fire. I checked over the lighting set up, turned on the radio trigger on the strobe, reloaded the wand, removed the cat from the cardboard box light tent, reloaded the wand again, leaned in, exhaled, blew a lovely bubble, just as the bubble was leaving the wand I triggered the camera and the flash. The flash fired, the shutter clicked, the bubble blew out, the cat chased the bubble. I ran to the camera to chimp the shot: black screen.

I checked the lens cap, it was off. I reloaded the wand, removed the cat from the cardboard box light tent, reloaded the wand, exhaled, bubble forms, trigger the camera and flash, the flash fires, the shutter clicks, run to chimp the shot: black screen. Repeat ten times. Check all the settings. Remove the cat from the cardboard box light tent. Repeat the exhale and trigger, chimp the shot: black screen.

At this point in time, I am somewhat frustrated.

I removed the remote trigger from the camera PC port, because the cheap ass Chinese knock offs will not remote trigger the camera and the flash at the same time. I remove the cat from the cardboard box light tent, load the wand, place the wand, check my focus and attempt to blow a bubble from two feet away while manually releasing the shutter. I spray bubble mix all over the back of the cardboard box light tent.

Repeat ten times, speckle the dark blue pillow case back drop with bubble mix. No bubbles. Decide to try several angles, remove the cat from the cardboard box light tent, and discover that from any angle I cannot both blow a bubble AND trigger the camera.

At this point in time I am very frustrated because I have realized for this work without remote triggering the shutter, I would need to violate several laws of physics regarding matter existing in two separate places at the same time.

I put the cat in the cardboard box light tent, since the damn cat wants to be in there so badly. I focus the camera on the cat, align the strobe and go to click the shutter because at this point in time I want to take ONE FARKING PHOTOGRAPH OF ANYTHING, shutter fires, chimp the shot, to see a blurry streak of a black and gray tail as the cat leaves the cardboard box light tent.

lulz. We’ve all been there.

ennui That’s hilarious, but only because I feel your pain =/

On the Cowboy Studio triggers – are you talking about the wireless strobe/flash units? I’ve got one and it works pretty well – with the caveat that I haven’t played with the hot shoe at all. Just as a master strobe trigger (the other strobe slaves off the first, but I’ll eventually get a second receiver).

lolz at ennui‘s essay. A++ for effort, and there’s always “I tawt I taw” III. 🙂

//still haven’t taken a damned shot for this theme, and it’s my farkin’ theme suggestion. I need more round tuits. If anyone spots a sale at Amazon, please let me know…

ennuipoet that was beautiful.

i have a 15′ remote cable release for the minolta 7i and an IR remote release for the nikon D3000. the IR release will fire the camera when pointed at the ceiling or a side wall.

Great story, ennuipoet. As others have said, I understand your pain. This is comedy in the Ancient Greek form. 🙂 My old cat won’t let me near him with a camera. My Maisy (one year old tomorrow) loves just about everything.

The barren macro police might be busy this week. Just how dead does stuff have to be? Would a pressed flower work? How about an old leaf that has been worked over by Japanese Beetles so that only the veins remain? What about one of my spider web pics with the dew on it?

I arranged these in ascending order of barren-ness. Where is the line drawn? Or is this going to be bubbles and rocks and metal stuff? What if the stuff is on grass?

I don’t have a strong opinion. I’m just trying to define the playing field. It might be best and easiest to just make sure that the subject of the photo (as opposed to the background) is dead. And not just pining for the fiords.