Playing around with macro

I recently picked up the OM System M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens, and today I decided to play a bit with it on my Lego displays. Its been snowing outside for the better half of the day, and I just don’t feel like going outside, so… improvise! I also got to test out my 3LeggedThing Billy 2.0 Carbon Fiber Tripod, so it was a win-win!

The 60mm Macro is a really good macro lens. The 60mm distance, which in MFT format equates to a 120mm, allows you to capture your subject in macro without getting right on top of them, which you absolutely can do if you want that. There’s a limiting switch on the lens that lets you set the macro range, from 1:1 to 0.4 to infinity.

I used the 0.19 to infinity setting to capture photos of my Lego. The images get in so close you can see the dust on some of the figurines! (yeah, mini-vacuum time). Below are some of the images I took, all unedited. Maybe I should become a Lego photographer?

Busy Rebuilding My Portfolio

With my new OM-1 Mk II camera, I’m very busy rebuilding my portfolio and stock, taking as many photos as I can.

Although I have been taking photos for years, I don’t have many of my past shots because of computer changes and a lack of backup to an external hard drive. I went through three major changes in various Apple platforms over the years, and have lost pretty much the bulk of my work to these changes. One shift-over, a few years ago, I was in a bad place and simply said “f it,” and dumped all of my work. It is now a very painful memory for me, as I don’t have very important things, like my children’s pics growing up or visiting Disney World or other places. I’ve lost many great landscape shots I had taken over the years, and all of my modeling and musician pics. I never really cared about it all till now; I wish I had those images to go to and analyze to see how my photographic expertise grew. I even lost all of my birding photos from 2021-22.

I think of it a bit as leaving behind eras in my photographic lifespan, and now I’m starting a new one. I long to revisit old haunts, like Virginia barns and Civil War battlefields, the streets of Harper’s Ferry, Cape May, and especially the coast of Maine. So much history I have lost through my now-deleted photos. I think that, in some ways, it was an act of civil disobedience and also self-harm to a degree. But now I’m whole, and back in the game.

Franklin Park Conservatory

Yesterday I visited the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus, and it was a great haven for photography. I saw many Hawaiian Orchids spread throughout the Conservatory. There was also the amazing Chihuly glass creations tucked in differing parts of the botanical garden displays. And, I got a preview of the Blooms & Butterflies exhibit, which officially opens on February 22nd. It was a great morning filled with lots of photographic opportunities. Below are some of the images I framed:

New Camera System

Wow, I didn’t realize that its been so long since I last wrote a blog post! I haven’t been doing much with photography, as I sold my camera last year. It had been sitting around and I had no interest in taking it out to photograph anything.

Having gone several months without a camera, to see how that would be, I’ve gone ahead and adopted a whole new camera system. I purchased a new OM System (formerly Olympus) OM-1 Mark II MFT or Micro Four-Thirds format camera. The camera uses a crop sensor that turns lenses into an effect 2X focal length due to the cropping; in other words, a 12-40mm lens would equate to a 24-80mm lens. This is huge for photographing wildlife, as because of the factor, the lenses are able to be made smaller, and less weighty. Also, a great wildlife lens like the 150-600mm lens is now effectively 1200mm, a mighty reach. Add to that a teleconverter and you’re at a whopping 2400mm!

My plans are to focus on wildlife, landscape and architecture shoots. I am hoping to get a good zoom lens for this spring’s Biggest Week in American Birding festival, held on western Lake Erie in May.

This is a short update for now, but there will be more in the future and especially once I get back into the groove again.

My new daily carry bag

I’m talking about Think Tank Photo’s Retrospective 5 V2.0 shoulder bag. This bag does everything for me. This bag holds everything for me.

As a woman, it’s very difficult to find a good camera bag that does it all, while also looking stylish. I’ve looked over all of the usual suspects, including Peak Design, Jil-E, ONA, LowePro, Domke, Jo Totes, Kelly Moore, and F-Stop Gear, and have found them lacking in one way or another. I’ve found that a lot sacrifice style over substance, and while style is important to me, there are other more important factors to consider.

The key factor in choosing a camera bag is functionality - it must hold everything for me: camera, a Leica Q2; accessories such as extra batteries, memory cards, maybe a flash when I pick one up, and; personal items such as my wallet, keys, pens, eyeglasses, iPhone. The Retrospective 5 V2.0 does this in spades, with all of its pockets and main compartment room. Its 9.5” W x 7.8” H x 4.9” D internal dimensions hold lots of stuff in a space that is neither too small nor too large, but just right for the female photographer.

There are so many pockets to store your stuff in this bag. The front of the bag, as seen above, has a velcro-locked front pocket, which opens to a nice space to store things like extra batteries or even makeup, depending on what you are carrying. Within this big pocket is a zippered storage pocket where you can even put more items. The main compartment has a velcro-locked space that can carry a 9-inch tablet, notebook or other items. On the right side of the bag, there is even a beverage bottle holder.

The bag itself overall I feel is very stylish and has a relatively small form factor. The bag is made of sand-washed cotton canvas that has a durable water-repellant and polyurethane coating, and is very soft and formable. The exterior dimensions are 10”W by 8.5”H by 6”D, and it weighs in at 2 lbs. The bag is available in Pinestone - my bag’s color - or in black. The bag retails for $159.75, and in my opinion, is worth every penny!

Think Tank Photo does have several sizes in their Retrospective line, in addition to a full line of various camera bags, cases and numerous accessories to carry just about anything, Check them out at www.thinktankphoto.com. I was not reimbursed for this review.

National Packard Museum

Today I ventured to the National Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio. While there were many beautiful cars there, the cream-colored one below was by far my favorite, and the best-in-show. It was in immaculate condition and a beautiful representative of the Packard automobile.

Carnation City Mall of Alliance, Ohio

Built in 1983, just short of 40 years of operation, the Carnation City Mall’s days are numbered. The movie theater will have its last day of play on August 28th, and it will be only a matter of time until Alliance, Ohio’s Carnation City Mall is torn down. Only a few businesses remain to be relocated, with Dunham Sports taking the old JC Penny space.

As a beginning of my personal project titled Project Alliance, I spent some time there today taking images of the Mall and what’s left of it. I will be photographing the old city that I call home over the coming weeks and months, mostly in monochrome. There are so many nuggets in Alliance, and the City itself does have a story to tell, so hopefully I will be unwrapping that through my images.

First looks at Leica Q2 Images

Yesterday I traveled to Cedar Point, Ohio to visit and photograph the Field of Dreams, and all of the beautiful sunflowers in the field. Below are a some of my images taken. It really makes you think again using just a 28mm lens…. This was also the first time I’ve used the new camera!

Unboxing the Leica Q2

So today I received my new camera, the Leica Q2… here are images of the great unboxing! One would almost think the box was designed by Apple, it is so efficient!

No more weddings, I’m moving on…

After months of deep thought and reflection, I have decided to immediately cease operating my wedding photography business. I will honor the commitments that I currently have, but will not be accepting any new wedding jobs, neither now nor in the future.

So what’s next? Well, I’ve purchased a Leica Q2 and will be embarking on taking photos of the things that I love to shoot; landscapes, architecture and linear works, street and town. Eventually, as I rebuild my portfolio, I hope to begin selling my photography at local northeast Ohio craft fairs, and possibly entering competitions again.

Thank you to all of my clients, its been a wild ride. Please check back here for my new beginnings, and follow me on the next adventure! Blessings.