10.03.14 .... String

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Closeup photo of a ball of string. String is about 2mm in diameter.

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f8 - reverse mounted. 5 images stacked to give adequate depth of field.

10.03.10 .... Pendant

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One of Sally's pendants photographed on velvet. It is tiny - about a centimeter across.

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens with 27mm extension tube. F8 at 1/200s ISO 200 using bounce flash - camera supported on a Minolta macro stand and focusing rail.

Made using 5 images combined using CombineZM software (Google it). Each image was focused on a different plane and by stacking I can get adequate depth of field and great sharpness.

10.03.05 .... Peppercorns

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The world's most popular spice.

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f11 1/200s ISO 200.

10.03.04 .... Photo umbrella

What a photo subject sees when the flash goes off behind a photo umbrella.

Canon 300D with 18-55mm lens at 18mm f16 1/200s ISO 100. My old original first digital SLR that Sally gave me in December 2003. It still works.

10.03.03 .... Circuit board

This circuit board is part of a telescope mount I am selling. Interesting industrial art in its own way.

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f16 1/200s ISO 800. SB-800 flash on camera bounced off ceiling.

10.03.01 .... Pho with shrimp

Pho is Vietnamese beef noodle soup. This bowl has shrimp (it's my favorite). This take out and we are eating it at home. One large bowl serves both me and Sally for $7 or so. Quite a deal and delicious!

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f11 1/160s ISO 800. SB-800 flash on camera bounced off ceiling

10.02.25 .... Focusing Rail

In high magnification closeup (macro) photography - it is very difficult to focus using the camera lens.

It's best to move the entire camera setup as a unit. A focusing rail is designed for this purpose. The camera is attached to the platform with the screw just over the word "minolta". Turning a large knob [hidden] moves the finely geared chrome rail. After you reach agreeable focus, use the knob marked "clamp" to lock it in position. The moth wing photo on 10.01.20 here was taken using a focusing rail.

This Minolta brand rail from the 1980's is a very nicely made one that can sometimes be found used. The red stripe is a reflection of a red room curtain. Looks like a nice industrial sculpture!

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f11 1/200s ISO 800. Flash bounced off ceiling.

10.02.21 .... Everyday watch

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My watch shows lots of wear when viewed with the sharp eye of a Nikon micro. You never see these little marks otherwise!

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f8 (its sharpest aperture) 1/200s ISO 200. Flash in a little soft box. About 1/2X magnification.

10.02.18 .... Ham n' cheese

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Made by Kevin, dinner in the skillet - ready to eat!

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f16 1/200 ISO 200. Nikon SB-800 flash in mini softbox off-camera. Takes a lot of experimenting to find the best direction of the light source to show the food well. I used the self timer and held the softbox in various positions - skillet is still cooking and hot!

10.02.17 .... Bread

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Bread closeup shows lots of great textures.

Nikon D300 with 105mm f4 micro lens at f11 1/200s ISO 200. Flash in mini softbox.

10.02.15 .... Valentine boots

With 20 minutes to go before the picture deadline, I just grabbed a couple of items that were around. Sometimes uncreative visual cliches happen... will do better next time!

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro, f16, 1/250s ISO 200. SB-800 flash in a little softbox.

10.02.11 .... Nuts

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Pistachio nuts soon to be eaten.

Nikon D700 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f4 1/200s ISO 200. Lit by SB-800 flash in mini softbox.

10.02.05 .... Flower closeup

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Flower from 2 week old bouquet - still looks good.

Nikon D300 with 105mm f4 micro lens with 52mm extension tube. Lens set at f16, 1/200s ISO 200. About 1:1 magnification. Closeup SB-800 flash in a mini soft box.

10.02.03 .... Chocolate slabs

Chocolate slabs on the side of a wedding cake.

Nikon D700 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f11 1/200s ISO 1600. Bounce flash off ceiling.

10.02.01 .... Perfume Bottle

Sally's favorite perfume. Smells great!

Nikon D300 with 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 VR lens at 145mm. F7.1 1/250s ISO 400. Flash bounced off ceiling.

10.01.29 .... Lemon drop

Bought a big bag of lemons. So used one for a photo - then made lemonade!

Nikon D300 with 75-150mm f3.5 lens with 3T close-up diopter. f11 1/200s ISO 200. Lemon and background lit separately. Background color created with colored gel over flash aimed at black background.

10.01.25 .... 1981 boots

Frye boots. Circa 1981. The era of Calvins and Jordache and red white and blue leather Nikes. Always uncomfortable, yet they made me feel more confident and stylish. They were my talisman for many years of first dates. So many memories tied up in them! Not worn for many years, somehow they still occupy space in my closet. This is the only photo I've ever made of them. Perhaps it will help me let them go... hmm

Nikon D300 with 55mm f3.5 micro lens at f16 1/200s ISO 400. Flash bounced off ceiling. Photoshop used to clean up the black background.

10.01.24 .... Layers of mystery

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Mysterious inner beauty of a rose.

D300 with 75-150mm f3.5 lens at 150mm and using 4T diopter. 1/160s f16 ISO 200. Nearly life size magnification. Flash bounced off ceiling.

10.01.22 .... Anniversary Bouquet

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Sally and I have two anniversaries a year - the anniversary of the day we met and our wedding day anniversary. These flowers I got her for our meeting day anniversary - 7 incredible years!

Nikon D300 with 75-150mm f3.5 lens at f16 1/160s ISO 400. Flash bounced off the ceiling.

10.01.20 .... Moth Wing Detail

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Scales on the edge of a moth wing. The part of the wing shown is 2 millimeters across. Yes you read that right! At this magnification, depth of field only covers a row or two of scales.

Nikon D300 with stacked lenses to give 4 times life-size magnification. 50mm reversed on a 200mm. Lit with flash from about 3 inches away. Carefully positioned a small dead moth on a pin at the edge of a table and went to work. Took many attempts to get this. Live View used to focus using a strong light positioned very close. The moth wing is about an inch from the front of the lens.