Short Focus - A Primer

All my clocks are broken. Or so I thought on Sunday morning, for maybe the 120th time in my life. Of course they are not broken and the sun is still above the horizon at 5:30 PM on this first Sunday evening of “normal” time. Another weekend has flashed past during which I developed a revolting sinus infection (my first) and built a bunch of photography gadgets. I also spent a little time thinking hard about whether or not I should wade into the murky waters of small-scale manufacture and actually try to make a little money selling some of this stuff.

A focus block conversion

There are pros and cons, of course. On the plus side, I really enjoy the process of designing, drawing, prototyping, and finishing all these projects. I love testing them and using them, too. I like getting feedback from my friends and working to improve on designs and building approaches. I even enjoy sourcing the best low-cost parts for the projects. Now, a big part of this is that I work on these projects to relax and test myself - the only schedule is the one in my head and I seldom allow my “hobby” to get in the way of my work. But what happens when someone is paying real money for one of these things - how relaxing will the work be then? And then there is the whole money thing. I am not very good about asking people for money because it makes me feel uncomfortable, as does receiving it when I do work up the courage to ask. Becoming a maker and seller of these gadgets would mean I would have to do this a lot (hopefully), and that sounds a little scary.

The conversion motorized

Neither the focus block stacking device nor the cross polarizer platform were cheap to make. That is because neither was close to finished until I had drawn, printed and assembled at least half a dozen prototypes - a process taking several weeks and a bunch of parts. But even accounting for my time, they also weren’t that terribly expensive to make either. So, at the end of the day, I am not exactly sure what they are worth, and I absolutely need to know that before I will sell one. I try not to talk about this channel’s finances - it is too embarrassing - but an infusion of profit from something like this would  be most useful and very welcome. Then there is the question of what I should actually try to sell - a complete, ready to use gadget, fully assembled and ready to use? Or a kit, complete with plans and instructions? Or some other hybrid arrangement? I just don’t know.

One simple eye of a velvet ant at 20X - no reason, just like it

So I am going to ask you what you think and I would be most grateful for any feedback you can offer. It should go without saying, but this is just me asking you what you think. It is not a solicitation and I will record your feedback without identifying information. If you feel so inclined, please answer a couple of simple questions for me - you can do so in the comment section below this post, or you can contact me in any other way that is convenient. You are also welcome to answer only the parts you want to. Here we go:

1. Would you be interested in buying a fully ready to use cross polarizing birefringent crystal viewer and imaging platform?

2. How much would you consider a fair price to get one?

3. Would you be interested in scoring a microscope focusing attachment to use with your stackShot or WeMacro controller?

4. How much would the whole assembly, not counting a microscope, be worth to you (frame, fine focus interface, Motor, cables)?

5. Would you be interested in getting a free standing, ready to use fine focus device including a microscope focus block and the drive assembly (for use with whatever controller you already have)?

6. How much would that be worth to you?

7. Is there anything else that I have invented/built in the last few years that you would like to have a chance to buy?

8. Any other words of wisdom or encouragement?

the testing platform

Thanks for doing this - I will let you know what the bottom line is in a few days. Now here is a picture of a bridge. No reason.

So what are we up to this week?

On Tuesday, in Macro Talk, I am going to tell you everything you need to know about the technique of short focusing in high magnification macro photography. It is surprisingly straight forward, but can add a very exciting dimension to your use of objectives as camera lenses. I will cover what it is for, how to set up the equipment, the potential problems, and the gear you will need. Then I will tell you exactly how to evaluate and relay lenses that you think may work for short focus and actually walk through the process using one of Susan Seaford’s telephoto Nikon lenses. Fun! The link is here… https://youtube.com/live/GAsu-jhdp-s?feature=share

On Thursday we are going to take one more look at the two macro-gadgets I have been working on for the last month and I will complete the circle by giving you step-by-step instructions on how to take full advantage of the two 3D print files that I released earlier today. Literally everything you need to know to build and use both devices for your own rig. Even if you have no interest in building either of them, there will still be a ton of interesting stuff to talk about. Don’t miss this one! The link… https://youtube.com/live/7WhjIWPh8fE?feature=share

Saturday is Pzoom - a private face to face meeting with my awesome Patreon supporters, where they get to ask questions, lodge complaints, hurl obscenities, and just have a good old time with their host - me! I will have a few surprises for the group and we are going to have a very good time - promise! The invitation is posted over on my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/allanwallsphotography

If you missed the last AfterStack, fear not, as it is now available by following this YouTube link to the recording!

A busy week and a lot to prepare for, so I had better get my skates on! Hope to see you soon! All the best!

Allan

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”

The words of Puck, Oberon’s impish fairy, on realizing how screwed up everything had become in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare…

Have you ever done something so careless, with such disregard for the consequences, that you were embarrassed to tell anyone? I do it all the time, but on this particular occasion I have no choice - I have to tell you about it because it is such a good opportunity to teach something of real value. What follows is a cautionary tale that I have decided to use as the starting point for my two livestreams this week. It is about how one ill conceived move in data management can wreck a schedule, waste almost an entire work week, and cost several thousand dollars.

The story begins with a zoom call that I was having with a friend, one week ago. During the call I wanted to show a clip of video footage shot through my microscope and recorded onto my Nikon D7500. It was not the only clip on the card, but one of about 40 such segments - some of them very long. In my haste, I pulled the card (128GB) from the camera and inserted it into the card reader attached to my MacBook Pro - my main work machine and the device I use for all my livestreams, blog posts and other work related tasks. Early that day I had received a single warning message from Backblaze that my 2TB SSD was dangerously short on space and my backups may not be able to proceed until some data was moved off the drive.

I have been given these warnings before, and they are usually given long before anything bad happens - surely this was no different. So instead of attending to the problem I did the complete opposite and proceeded to transfer the clip to my computer’s hard drive without a second thought. Apparently I did so without much of a first thought either because I somehow selected ALL the clips, not just the one I wanted to show to my friend. And the computer obediently jumped into action. I thought nothing more of it until a couple of hours later, when I noticed that the computer had not finished the transfer, though it appeared to be still trying to do so. This was when I remembered the earlier warning and I stopped the transfer, or tried to. The machine was not working as expected and wouldn’t respond to any inputs. So, after  trying everything I could think of I decided to restart the machine, a maneuver that works to correct a great many problems on a Mac.

On this occasion, however, the computer would not reboot. It would start to, asking for my password and beginning the process promptly enough, but after a few seconds the screen would turn black and all signs of life would disappear. This was repeated multiple times, with no success. I still wasn’t too worried - this had happened before on older Macs, and I managed to restart the computer in Recovery Mode. This is not the same as starting in Safe Mode, a limited type of restart that allows for most of the normal activities of a working computer to proceed. In Recovery Mode there are only a very limited number of options available. One of these is called Disc Utility, a process that allows one to examine the various Discs, Volumes, and Partitions on the connected drives. On examining my 2TB SSD I discovered something that I have never seen before and until that moment did not think was even possible on a modern MacBook Pro. My SSD had only 78KB of space remaining. This blog post is larger than that. Put another way, if my computer’s hard drive had a total capacity of one Olympic swimming pool, filled to the brim, I had remaining enough space to fill the tank of my car. If the total capacity of my hard drive would fit on a football field, I had enough room left for a medium sized print of one of my photographs.

And why does any of this matter? Because in order to move or delete any data from a drive you must have enough space left on the disc to copy the material you wish to move or delete. As incomprehensible as it seems now, I had somehow managed to cram so much stuff into my computer that I couldn’t get rid of any of it. Neither could Apple.  I have a friend who lives in Europe, and knows more about Apple computers than anyone I know, and after 6 hours of typing incomprehensible commands into Terminal , only to get the same “No disc space available” response to every command, he too joined the ranks of experts who agreed there was nothing that could be done short of erasing the SSD and starting over. An 8 hour round trip to the Apple Store in Chicago confirmed my worst fears. I know what you are thinking… “But you have everything backed up, right?”. Well, yes… and no. Not everything, it turns out. Not the stuff I have been working on, videos, research, recent photographs, OBS settings, that kind of thing. Some of it is backed up, somewhere.  Oh what a mess.

If I have learned nothing else in the last six decades, I have learned this - making a stupid mistake is only indefensible when I don’t learn something from it. And I have learned a lot from this one. I am also lucky enough to have a platform from which I can share what I have learned - something that can turn this minor disaster into something positive and useful, for you and for me. Which brings me to this week’s Livestreams (if I ever figure out how to set up YouTube, OBS, Google, and half a dozen other pieces of the puzzle, needed to pull off a Livestream using a different computer). I am going to take Tuesday’s session to explain how I got into this mess and give you some concrete advice on how you can avoid the same nightmare. Most of it I once knew, but some of it has come from earnest research over the last week. I won’t spend a lot of time on what I did, but will instead try to cover all the common ways we can get into deep water with our computers, especially when it pertains to the special case of large volume image processing. I think there will be a lot of good information that should, at the very least, be a valuable reminder of what not to do. Your link to the stream is right here - https://youtube.com/live/7u4jT8-6rT0?feature=share

On Thursday we will regroup and talk about some of the most important “Best Practices” that can keep our computers functioning reliably and at peak performance for years to come. I would add that the whole time I have been researching these two discussions, I have had my $5,000 M1 paperweight sitting next to my left elbow, as a reminder. Many of you will remember how difficult and painful it was for me to scrape together the means to buy this machine in the first place - I sincerely hope that my efforts this week will keep you from ever having to go through this entirely avoidable distress. Join the conversation with this link - https://youtube.com/live/JtYwJaMOZGM?feature=share

Hopefully we can get back to some semblance of normalcy by Saturday, when I will be hosting episode 15 of AfterStack - devoted to understanding and using the much-feared Pen Tool in Photoshop.

I will talk a little about how I use this wonderful tool, but the majority of the time will be spent talking about how you use it and what tricks you might have to share with the group. Bud Perrott will be joining me for what should be an interesting and fun couple of hours. If you want to attend, it is completely free and all you need is this invitation -

Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: AfterStack Episode 15

Time: Jan 25, 2025 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=89740348691

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

That is all I have for you this week - I hope you can make it to one or two of these events, or if not, you can always watch the videos that will be posted shortly after the  events are over. In the meantime I hope everyone has a great week ahead!

Allan

More Color

With a little over a week left before the Christmas holiday is upon us, I find I have more to do than time to do it in. This is typically the season during which my inability to say “No, thank you” to demands on my time causes me more frustration than at other, less festive times of the year. Knowing this, it should have had no trouble saying “No, thank you” to the friend who called me at 8PM on Sunday and asked if I could help him out of a jam by organizing and cooking for a dinner party that had been scheduled for the next day, today, in other words. Monday is my busiest day of the week, the day I plan and write my livestream content, schedule my events, and get the week’s blog post published. I normally start at around 6AM and am done about 12 hours later. But, of course, I said I would be happy to help out - which I am, as my friend’s last minute emergency is a legitimate one, and I am a competent cook. The result is that this will be a brief post, with my apologies.

Last Saturday we enjoyed a lively discussion on the subject of Blend Modes in episode 12 of AfterStack. The conversation was led by Bud Perrott and you can find the recording on YouTube by following this link - https://youtu.be/BlULo1QMAW8

We kick things off this week with Macro Track on Tuesday at 8PM, with Chapter 3 of our 6 part discussion of Color in Macro Photography. In this episode we will look at how to use color in designing an image - in other words, we will consider how color in integrated into both composition and aesthetics. The question we will asking is how can color be understood and manipulated in order to create visually engaging images. To this end we will consider the psychology of color - how humans respond to certain colors. We will look into the practical applications of color theory - how to create balance and harmony in an image. Finally we will consider some practical applications of color theory - how to avoid color clashes, using depth of field in conjunction with color, and selecting the best backgrounds for an image. This is your link to Tuesday’s stream - https://youtube.com/live/yhPRixsIhSs?feature=share

On Thursday’s Macro Talk Too we will delve into the color workflow, or how we can make the most of color by accurate calibration and careful post-processing. We will talk about why calibration matters and the various tools we have for screen calibration. We will cover color profiles and color spaces - specifically, when and how to use them. Then we will get into post-processing and look at white balance and tone, selective enhancement with HSL and masking, and how to manage color noise while maintaining color accuracy and image fidelity at high magnifications. Your link to this stream is here - https://youtube.com/live/XR6ePF-Arok?feature=share

On Saturday, December 21st at 10AM our Pzoom Christmas Extravaganza will kick off with our first annual eggnog drinking competition followed by a presentation on “Close-up Photography of Flaming Christmas Puddings and Amateur Skin Grafting Tips for Eyebrow Burns”. Definitely not a Pzoom you will want to miss! The invitation is posted on the Patreon home page.

Immediately following Saturday’s Pzoom, at 12:30 to be precise, we will have our final Tangent 3D modeling session of 2024. I think Larry is going to be talking about the latest and greatest releases from the big 3D printer manufacturers, among other things - check the Tangent Channel over on my Discord Server for details. The invitation to this weeks Tangent is here - Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: The Tangent - with Larry and Allan

Time: Dec 21, 2024 12:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=84337476098

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

As I have mentioned in the last few posts, I will be away from the studio next week and have been forced to cancel both of usual livestreams, So there will be no Macro Talk on Christmas Eve and no Macro Talk Too on Boxing Day. I will not have access to the internet on either day. I will try to get a post out on Monday, and if there are any changes to the holiday schedule, that is where you will find them.

There will be an AfterStack on Saturday December 28th at 10AM - It will be my turn to lead the discussion and I will be talking abut a couple of the commonly used color tools in Photoshop. The invitation is posted here, in case I do not get a chance to post it next week. Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: AfterStack #13 - Color Tools

Time: Dec 28, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=86402510371

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

A final word about the competition - some people have been encountering difficulty posting their images for the November/December Wild Card Competition and it appears to be related to my website being over-quota from all the images submitted during the last few months. I am working to fix this today, so if you have had a problem uploading your images, please try again in a day or two, and check back before the end of the month to make sure your entries have been properly posted. I apologize for any inconvenience.

A busy week ahead! I hope to see you tomorrow!

Allan

Polarization in Macro Photography

Eupholus weevil dancing

I am occasionally asked how I come up with topics to discuss during my twice weekly livestreams. The topics come from several different sources. Most often, I am answering a question that was brought up by one of my students or asked by a livestream participant. If, when thinking about the question, I can expand on the topic to include interesting background and details, it will often become my subject for the week. But I also keep an ever-growing list of promising subjects that occur to me during my own exploration of macro photography and associated disciplines. The beauty of macro photography is that there are more fascinating topics to explore than I could cram into a lifetime of livestreams.

A moth

I try not to repeat myself and avoid talking about the same topic twice in the same year, and even when I do return to a previous conversation I try to emphasize information that has not been covered. I need to bear in mind that new viewers are going the streams every week and for many of them this may be the first time they have encountered the topic. Balancing the needs of the newcomer to macro with the seasoned experts that  are also in the audience every week is the hardest part of programming these events.

attacking bee

This week, for example, I am breaking from my usual practice of finding a common theme for both livestreams and instead will be addressing two distinctly different topics that came up in conversation over the preceding week. This has the advantage of keeping things interesting and relevant to more viewers, while keeping the process interesting for me at the same time.

On Tuesday I am going to  talk about the use of polarized light in macro photography. I don’t think I have ever discussed this subject as I plan to in this livestream. The question that prompted this was a practical one - “when should be using  polarizing filters in macro photography?” - and to answer that I need to explain a little about polarized light. So I will open with a discussion about light in general and the concept of polarity in the context of visible light. When we understand the nature of light and see how it can be polarized, everything else I talk about should make a lot more sense. For example I will explain the difference between using a polarized light source and polarizing the light that enters our camera through a polarizing filter. When do we want to use the former, when the latter, and I will introduce the concept of using both.

A closeup compound eye

For a subject to be useful for your photography it needs to have some practical application, so I will describe the various types of polarizing filters and give step by step recommendations on how they are used. By the end of the hour you should have everything you need to make wise decision about when and how to use polarization as well as information on the best brands of polarizing filters to look for. B&H carries a wide selection of the very best circular polarizing filters - you can find them here - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=circular%20polarizing%20filters&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ps&BI=23366&KBID=28903&SID=DFF&DFF=d50

A B&W circular polarizing filter from b&h

If you would like to join the discussion, the link for the livestream is here - https://youtube.com/live/U2bcVTXrWzc?feature=share

On Thursday we are going to look at something completely different that I think should be of interest to many of you. What is the best tripod head for use in macro photography? I don’t think I have ever talked about this in any depth but it is quite interesting. For one thing, there are a lot more options than most people might be aware of, and they are not all equally ideal for close up work. I will describe all the different ways in which a camera can be mounted to a tripod (monopod, ground pod, camera stand, etc.) and discuss the relative merits and drawbacks of each. Based on my own experience I will make specific recommendations for each time of head and explain why I use each of them.

The amazing magic ball from novoflex

If you are thinking about adding or replacing a tripod head in your bag, here are a few of the products that I recommend and will be talking about during the livestream.

my favorite benro three way geared head

When it comes to ball heads you will have a hard time finding anything more versatile and well constructed than the Really Right Stuff BH55, available from B&H - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1301057-REG/really_right_stuff_bh_55_pro_bh_55_ballhead_with_full_size.html/BI/23366/KBID/28903/DFF/d10-v21-t1-x781162/SID/DFF

Another contender at the top of the stack is the incredible Novoflex Magic Ball - a different take on the ball head but one that many of the best macro photographers swear by - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/153279-REG/Novoflex_MB_Magic_Ball_with_Socket.html/BI/23366/KBID/28903/DFF/d10-v21-t1-x1596924/SID/DFF

A gimbal head form sirui

For the more budget conscious photographer, Sirui makes a really lovely low profile ball head, the AM40 that is a little smaller than the RRS, but a lot less expensive - https://amzn.to/4hfVBVG

A quality fluid head from neewer

In the geared head category you will not find a better affordable three-way head than the Benro GD3WH that I use. I have ben using this for at least 6 years and I love it - https://amzn.to/3AaA93v

the perfect head for macro on a monopod

Another option if you jus have to have the best geared head on the planet is the original Arca Swiss cube, available from B&H - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1373798-REG/arca_swiss_8501303_1_cube_c1_gp_geared.html/BI/23366/KBID/28903/DFF/d10-v21-t1-x861127/SID/DFF

I think a very fine alternative at a lower price point is the new Leofoto geared head, also from B&H - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1796458-REG/leofoto_gw_01_3_way_geared_head.html/BI/23366/KBID/28903/DFF/d10-v21-t1-x1340748/SID/DFF

not strictly a tripod head, I like to use this leveling device for still life work

For anyone wanting a video friendly fluid head, a very attractive option is the new Neewer, shown above. It is sturdy and easy to use, while also being very affordable - https://amzn.to/3YcPZmo

The SmallRig DH10 is another excellent choice - https://amzn.to/4f3DvEm

I recommend a two axis head for use with a monopod and one of the best for the price is the Sunwayfoto DT-03S - https://amzn.to/3BTe0HA

B&H has a wide selection of other monopod heads - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=monopod%20head&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ps&BI=23366&KBID=28903&SID=DFF&DFF=d50

The tripod head livestream link is right here - https://youtube.com/live/HYt2wfVEPc8?feature=share

If you are one of my Patreon Supporters, don’t forget we have a Pzoom this Saturday morning at 10AM and this week will be a mixed bag, with some introductions, updates on where to purchase bugs this winter, a book at my studio, and some discussion of idler platform stacking. Should be a fun morning! Your invitation is over on Patreon. If you are not one of my supporters but want to look into joining, please check out my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/allanwallsphotography

For anyone interested in the dark arts of 3D modeling and printing, Larry and I will be hosting Tangent at 12:30 on Saturday. For details, check out the Tangent page over on Discord. To join the fun, use this invitation

Topic: Tangent

Time: Oct 26, 2024 12:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=8842267247

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

a dragonfly at rest

That’s all I have for you right now! Hope to see you tomorrow!

Allan

Planning Ahead

Studio starting to look a lot better!

Summer is half over andI have no idea where the first half went - but I have a feeling the second half is not going to go by any slower. So this probably the perfect time to start thinking about the rapidly approaching “off-season” for insect photography. If you, like me, want to plan for a productive winter in the studio, the time to do so is now. For the first time in many years I have had to come to grips with the reality of an honest to goodness winter season - and I am not talking about the kind of winter that I am used to - the kind that consists of a week or two of temperatures in the mid-fifties. In just a few more weeks I will be faced with some of the harshest winter weather that the North American continent can produce. The Midwest is well known for its long, cold, wet ,and windy winters, with heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures being absolute certainties.

Every year, in the early fall, I will devote a little time to talk about the changing seasons but it has always been with a sort of academic detachment - like I was describing the conditions one might expect to encounter during a visit to one of Jupiter’s smaller moons. This year I feel a slightly greater sense of urgency and have decided to tackle this question both earlier and more thoroughly than I have in the past. And with this in mind our preparations for the coming winter kick off this week with a two part livestream titled “Planning Ahead”.

In  Part I, on Tuesday July 23rd, I am going to lay the ground work for a series of more detailed and specific discussions that will deal with exactly how we can get the most out of the coming winter. In this first session I will talking mostly about the things we can do to  extend the insect photography season, though later on I will  be getting into several other macro disciplines that also require some careful planning. Here are a few of the specific issues I will discuss on Tuesday:

Setting realistic goals

Making a “Catch List”

Dry cleaning vs. wet cleaning

Pre-posing cleaned subjects

Dealing with eyes

The importance of maintaining an up to date “catch catalogue” and shooting schedule

Stocking up on supplies

Planning for bycatch

Dealing with soft bodies and the role of taxidermy

Storage for shipping vs. storage for shooting

Live storage

Never wet and never dry subjects

Avoiding stress

Chemical consequences

Purchased specimens and the difference between commercial drying and home drying

Size matters

Don’t forget the background

To Kroil or not to Kroil?

Sounds like a lot to cover? It is - but that is why I am starting this discussion earlier than I have done in past years. And most of these topics will covered separately and in more depth in future livestreams and video presentations. But for now, here is your invitation to the livestream… https://youtube.com/live/J3aulAGOWDI?feature=share

The first of these deeper dives  will be presented on Thursday when I get into to the very practical matter of pre-shoot temporary storage of posed and unposed specimens.

This is a subject I have not previously presented at such a granular level, but just exactly how do you store cleaned and posed insects for future photography? In this stream I will show you the storage methods that I personally use and I will also show you exactly how I make the storage vessels I prefer. Think of it as a mini-DIY tutorial  - easy to do and extremely helpful. Here is your invitation to the livestream… https://youtube.com/live/YDUkWV0kg0w?feature=share

If you are waiting for the recording from Saturday’s  Pzoom livestream, it is posted over on Patreon - and it was a good one! I have also posted a copy of the chat, which is packed with useful links and other cool information.

But if you are waiting for the release of the “Tangent - 3D modeling livestream”, it was released today and can be seen by following this YouTube link, or you can simply click the video link https://youtu.be/L2r4ziTplXo, and just watch it from here…

This is a non-Pzoom weekend coming up, but that means it is time for another “After Stack” post-production workshop and roundtable discussion with Bud Perrott and yours truly.

This week we are going to be taking a closer look at all the different ways that we can refine masks in Photoshop and other non-destructive phot-editors. If you have not come to one of these events in the last, this would be a great time to change that as this promises to be an extremely practical and helpful session for anyone doing their own macro photography editing (in other words, for everyone). Don’t miss it - Saturday morning at 10AM. This is a Zoom event so you will need a copy of the invitation to attend - and here it is -

Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: After Stack with Bud Perrott and Allan Walls

Time: Jul 27, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=88626705185

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

The July Macro Competition is wrapping up next week, so if you have not submitted your entry for the month you need to be thinking about getting that done before NEXT THURSDAY! The theme is “It Came from the Grocery Store” - a macro photograph of something you could find at the local grocery shop - shot at 1:2 or greater magnification. You can submit up to two images unless you have previously won this competition, in which case you may only submit a single entry. Harold Hall is my guest judge for this event and I am really looking forward to this one!

Lastly, I am trying to get a headcount for the upcoming “First Annual Midwest Macro Picnic and Livestream” - if you are interested in participating in a free, live, wide-angle macro workshop, somewhere in Illinois during the first or second weekend of September, you need to let me know how many people you are bringing and where you are coming from (so I can choose a venue that is maximally convenient for everyone). You can message me through the Walls App (https://www.walls-app.com) or the Patreon messaging system, but you need to do it right away - I have a lot of arrangements to make!