POSTS
The lens of small things
By hisham
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My favorite lens currently is a 50mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro. It’s perfect for life-size close-ups and portraits. Although it’s not as fast as I’d like it to be (i.e. f/1.4 or f/1.2), it’s sharp and has lovely bokeh (the appearance of out of focus areas) thanks to its circular aperture.
Some of the above photos were shot using a DIY soft box that I hacked together last night (instructions at Strobist – highly recommended site). A soft box diffuses light, softening shadows. Previously, I bounced light off a wall to diffuse it. While wall bouncing works, control is fiddly for shadow direction and spread.
Wall bounce light diffusion photo: Matryoshka dolls.
DIY soft box light diffusion photos: Toy truck, Mac remote, Chrysanthemum 1 and 2, Artifact, Microlith/Loompas photos, Bulb and Soviet Union Full Metal Lighter.
Here’s my soft box:
The lights I’m using are ordinary tungsten lamps rated at 60W and 40W. To get a perfect infinity sweep background, I need brighter lights or a hot shoe flash off camera.
Equipment used: Sony Alpha 100, Sony 50mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro lens, vacuum cleaner box converted to soft box and two tungsten lamps.