A somewhat eccentric macro set up. . .

I've been messing around with close up shots for a while, using some a couple of add on lenses that had been lying around from when I had my previous camera. I kept wanting to get closer so when I noticed a cheap set of macro lens add ons on ebay I thought 'Why not?'. I mean, how bad can they be? with a 12 megapixel camera any photos will be much, much bigger than is needed for product shots and the like, so any lack of high end quality is pretty irrelevant. I'm not going to be printing anything big anytime soon, or probably ever, so all this gear-head sneering at cheap Chinese stuff you hear from time to time is a bit pathetic. (says I anyway).

They turned out to be perfectly all right, by my standards at least. But they didn't get me close enough!
So I turned to the add on lenses mentioned previously and stuck them on the end of the four stacked macro lenses. . .

So that was a 1x, a 2x, a 4x and a 10x macro add on, plus another cheap add on from before of unspecified strength, and a Raynox, sort of clip on macro lens, the strength of which I can't remember, but must around 10x. It looked a bit bleedin ridiculous, as you can see. The Camera is a Fuji x100 by the way, which has a macro setting but nothing that gets you very close up.

But on a tripod, which is essential with product type shots anyway, the results were pretty much what I wanted. Mind you the beads were almost touching the lens and the camera was casting a shadow which I had to work round. . .

Early days, but I think I can maybe get a style of my own going for slightly more atmospheric supporting shots alongside clearer, more clinical ones for those who want to see details.

Dangerous Dancing. .

Well, I felt me age yesterday. There I was, working away at my desk with my iTunes set to 'random', which is a nice way to get an eclectic mix of tunes, the majority of which you will like, when this came on.

Yeeeeeah. . !
It's from an album called 'Intensified' that I had back in the eighties. As I'd been sitting down for hours by then I stood up and stretched my legs. Then I thought I'd try that 'running on the spot in slow motion' type dance that was de rigeur amongst Ska fans in my youth. Like the guy out of Madness used to do. I mean you can't not move to that tune innit?

So I was just getting into me stride when Eeeeek! .  my left calf muscle gave a serious twinge. I curtailed all bopping activity with immediate effect and gingerly flexed my left foot. . . Ow!. . .
So now I can't put my weight on my toe on that side and I'm hobbling about the place. No serious damage thankfully, but it makes you realise A. - How suddenly something can happen that affects your life and how you live it. I can't drive for a day or two, or walk to the shops etc. B. - How often you actually use your calf muscle, going up and down stairs is interesting. . and C. - It makes you admire even more how disabled people cope on a daily basis. Respect!

Oh well, I'll survive, poor old boy. . . Fah!

Anyway, on a happier note I sold three big buttons and a set of small buttons on Etsy, hooray. I shall make some more. . .

best,
Old limping Jon