Complaint Department - please take a number...

Good afternoon everyone. I read somewhere that it is never a good idea to start a discussion with an apology. That may well be true, but I feel compelled to do so, anyway. I am sorry if this post sounds a little defensive. Rest assured that it only sounds that way because I really am feeling a little defensive.

A strange crystal formation

I’m not having a great day. I got a call last night telling me that some of my supporters were talking about withdrawing their support. This is obviously the last thing I wanted to hear, and not knowing exactly what the issues were, I cancelled my dinner plans and headed back home to find out. As far as I can discern, the problem is with my choices of programming - what I talk about in my livestreams, Pzoom meetings, videos, articles, and other content. On digging a little further it soon became clear that some viewers thought that I had lost my direction and that some of my content did not interest them. I have done a lot of soul searching in the ensuing hours, and this short post will tell you my reaction and what I am going to do about it.

Yes - the new microscope has got me making crystal art again!

For clarity, I want to spell out something I don’t say often enough - there are a bunch of reasons I love my work, but the most important, by far, is the people that I do it for. You are what gets me up in the morning, and keeps me up late into the night. I have the best audience on YouTube - smart, motivated, kind, and determined people who take my work seriously. I am profoundly grateful, and humbled, by having a core group of long-time supporters that see the value in what I do and contribute through Patreon and in other ways, to keep me doing it. I love what I do, and I love the people that I do it for.

Tartaric acid

I have a strange job. It doesn’t come with a job description, or co-workers to show you the ropes. It doesn’t offer benefits, vacation time, or a regular paycheck. The job requires a strong work ethic, some creativity, and a lot of stamina. When you start doing this work, you don’t know exactly what to do, or, for that matter, how to do it. But if you stick with it long enough, it all starts to fall into place. Eventually, you even get to write your own job description - mine is “… to educate, entertain, and inspire photographers of all levels who share a common interest in close-up and macro photography.”. This is what I do, and most of the time, I think I do a decent job. The first part, educating interested adults, is not too difficult, because I am myself passionate about macro photography and am constantly learning and improving my own technique, while looking for exciting new ways to push our boundaries and tap rich new veins of creativity.  Having been an educator of motivated adults for my entire professional life, this is something that comes without too much effort, but is just as personally rewarding as it ever was.

First attempt at phase contrast

Entertaining adults is another matter, and I make no claim to expertise in this realm. While making content that is timely, accurate, clear and concise can be challenging, it is much harder, and a great deal more risky, to produce content that is also entertaining. For starters, even in the context of a livestream, it is virtually impossible to know if your audience is “getting” it. I have a strange sense of humor - too much Gary Larson during my formative years probably has something to do with it - and a lot of the things I find hilarious may not have the same impact on you. But unless someone comes out and says, “Hey Allan. That’s not funny.”, I just can’t tell if it’s working. So I do what we all do and rely on my own internal reaction to decide if something entertains me and, if it does, I just go with it, and hope it will work for you too. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don’t, but I’m not sure I will ever really know how to do it consistently.

I have no idea why I find this stuff so mind-blowing

I think I know where I stand with these first two elements of my job description - I know how to teach and don’t know how to entertain - and this is good because the knowledge guides me and keeps me out of trouble, most of the time. It is the third element, I think, that may be the root of the problem. I like to think that the content presented on my channel, the videos I make, the livestream discussions we have, the photographers that I interview, and even the gear that we review, all have the potential to inspire someone in the audience to try something new, branch out, or get out of their comfort zone. And if that is indeed true, then it is an awesome responsibility and should be treated as such. I look at it like this - the people who want to learn macro photography come to my channel to be taught. With a bit of luck, they will leave here with a better understanding or a new skill. The folks who come to be entertained will either be entertained and maybe come back again, or they will not - but the process is passive - they either receive entertainment or they don’t.

Birefringence is so very cool

But when someone comes to the channel unsure what they are looking for but with an open mind, then there is chance that they may see or hear something that inspires them - and when that happens there isn opportunity for them to leave with a new passion. And that is the most important thing that I can do for any of you.

I guess you had to be there - never shot crystals? You are missing out on some serious fun!

A few months ago I was planning to do a series of videos on the largely untouched topic of medium format macro photography (it never materialized). This month I have talked about light microscopes and how they are utilized in macro photography, with some content on where to find them and how to buy them. Then, just last week I mentioned my plans to devote one hour a month, for one year, to scanning electron microscopy as a tool for macro photography. What do all three of these items have in common? Well all three are hardly ever talked about in relation to macro photography, for one. They are also all fascinating and may help us understand the extreme limits of macro imaging like never before. I selected each of these topics because they are off the beaten path, because they will enrich our experience and expand our knowledge, because the content that results will be entertaining and fresh, and because they just might inspire someone to do something fantastic! Back in the real world, these were the three subjects cited as evidence of my loss of direction. I had the impression that some people felt betrayed, and I guess I can understand that. They came here to learn about macro photography and now I’m wasting their time with off-topic esoterica. They might be right, but I don’t think so. For all the reasons outlined above, I think this material is important for macro photographers, in much the same way that understanding the geography of a region can help us understand the region’s history. I wouldn’t talk about it if I didn’t believe in my hear that it would educate, entertain, and inspire my audience.

I’m thinking about making a book of crystal images

So what am I going to do… I am going to do exactly what I have been doing for the last six years. I am going to make the best content that I possibly can, on subjects that I think will be educational, entertaining, and inspirational to my community of macro photography enthusiasts. I will continue to invite you, at every opportunity, to tell me what you want to learn about, and when you do, I will adjust my programming accordingly. I know that I cannot please everyone, all the time… but I can try. One last thought before I move on - they say the squeaky wheel is the one that gets the oil, but whoever came up with that one doesn’t build as many gadgets as I do - when one wheel starts squeaking, it is a good idea to oil them all. Which is why…

… Tuesday’s Livestream is a Q&A where we talk about what you want to see on the channel, what I cover in the Livestreams, the subjects for videos, and anything else you want to bring up. I want it be super-productive so I will be coming with a few questions of my own, things that will help me get to the heart of what you want to see. I will not be bringing any prepared material but I will have some amazing pictures and video to show, if we get the chance. I am having some serious epiphanies working with the new microscope. So, if you can make it tomorrow, please come and come prepared to help me chart the course forward for Tuesday’s Macro Talk. The link is - https://youtube.com/live/47k0qfJ5r-g?feature=share

Thursday will be a similar arrangement because I need to hear from my Euro-pals as well. Macro Talk Too will be the same format, but I’ll have different photographs to share and different questions to ask.And, by the way, both of these streams are also macro Q&As, so bring any questions about gear, technique, your rig, or anything else. It’s your hour, so please plan on being there. Your link is here - https://youtube.com/live/kdeJwwrgDC8?feature=share

So, if there is no Pzoom meeting there must be and AfterStack, right? Correct - 10AM Saturday, 11/16/24 on Zoom is AfterStack 10. Several people have asked for more  basic  AfterStack episodes, and after some good feedback from the Clone Stamp discussion in Episode 9, Bud and I will take turns leading the discussion on alternating weeks. So #10 will be Bud’s and he is going to present some information about Smart Objects. As always, it helps us to have your pictures in advance, so please send me or Bud any photographs you want help with, and be sure to tell us what you are having problems with and how we can help. I will be taking Episode 11, so let me know what tool or process you want to discuss. When you send in a picture please add the episode number you want it discussed during.

You will need this invite to access AfterStack - Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Allan Walls’ AfterStack 10

Time: Nov 16, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=85799123411

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

The other scream

For my Patreon Supporters

There is no Patreon meeting this week, but I will post the recording link on the Patreon page in a little while (definitely today though) - this was a particularly interesting meeting and if you missed it you should check it out. Let me remind everyone on Patreon that the Pzoom recordings are only available for one month after the show, BUT, if it contains something that you might want to have in the future, you can download it to your computer and keep it for as long as you like.

Thank you to my Patreon Supporters - This channel only exists because of your support!

This stuff will test your imagination

Note on the photographs - all of the images in this post are crystals made for this purpose and photographed on my Nikon D7500, mounted directly to the camera port of my Nikon Diaphot. The cross polarization was accomplished using a homemade set of filter adapters. This is a really exciting experience, working with such a lovely piece of equipment, and I thought you might like to see what it can do!

Another Big Week

Another big week!

Wasp hamuli

Before this week is over we will have launched the AWP Essentials Project, I will have completed my second interview with the amazing Lester Lefkowitz, and we will have done a total of FOUR live events! Yikes!

But before I talk about the Essentials  Project let me tell you what we are going to be doing for the Livestreams this week (I’m not going to tell you what I have planned for Lester - you will have to wait and see that for yourself in a couple of weeks!).

We will kick things off tomorrow with the Macro Talk Livestream where  am going to dig quite a bit deeper into the subject that has ben on a lot of minds over the last week or two - High-speed focus stacking in the field. The reason for this discussion stems from the issues that a few of you have had while trying to replicate the tremendous results that friend of the show, Claus Giloi has been getting. A few of us have been running into issues using cameras equipped with a “progressive” shutter (which is basically every camera except the global shutter equipped Sony A9-III). Why is this? What is it about the global shutter that makes this technique possible, and why are the rest of us struggling? Drop by on Tuesday and I will tell you. Here is your link… https://youtube.com/live/gluFjbJSFbo?feature=share

We can’t have this conversation without ending up  face-to-face with a bigger question - really it is THE big question. Is my macro photograph any good? So, what makes a good photograph? Says who? And why does it matter? I have a lot to say about this and I am pretty sure there are going to be a few feathers getting ruffled before I am done. But it will be fun! Here is your link to the stream… https://youtube.com/live/95J8c6obeMI?feature=share

Did you miss the AfterStack Livestream on Saturday? No problem, AfterStack #6 is now available on YouTube - https://youtu.be/PQ6BImlS-JI

This week is a Pzoom week - so Saturday morning at 10AM all of my Patreon Supporters are invited to come by for a 2-hour face-to-face back and forth about anything and everything macro-related (in other words, I have not decided on what I want to talk about yet!). Your Pzoom invitation is over on Patreon! See today’s post!

No sooner does the Pzoom wrap up and it is off to Minnesota, or South Dakota, or maybe Manitoba (I’m not positive) to catch up with Larry for the Tangent! Our very own 3D modeling and printing discussion forum for macro photographers (the only one on the planet, I am pretty sure). Everyone is invited and here is your invitation… Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: The Tangent

Time: Sep 28, 2024 12:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=84478036176

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

********

So, with all that out of the way, I want to tell you about t the new project I am launching this week - I think it is a big deal, but I will need our help to pull it off. Here is a summary of the project. Please look it over and, when you have, if it sounds like something you would like to get behind , please consider going over to the Walls App (www.walls-app.com) and leaving a message for Susan. If there is a particular topic that you would like to focus on, be sure to mention that as well. We will get back to everyone who responds and let you know all the details!

Galloping weevil

AWP MacroEssentials Project

Purpose

The AWP MacroEssentials Project is a viewer-centric initiative developed in response to requests from numerous viewers of the Allan Walls Photography YouTube channel for a practical, accessible, curated content guide that will help newcomers to the channel find and enjoy the content that most accurately meets their individual needs. In a nutshell, the end product will consist of a limited series of short videos that introduce the viewer to a specific category of content in a linear and progressive format that can form the basis for more advanced study or exploration. The format will be that of a video playlist consisting of, in the initial set, a dozen short videos in which Allan will introduce the viewer to a specially curated playlist of video content, including both complete videos and sections of larger videos or livestream presentations, addressing a specific topic of interest to macro photographers. In each introductory video Allan will personally and briefly summarize the key points made in the playlist videos.

People

Allan has recorded more than 800 hours of video content, most as standard YouTube videos, but also including 250 hours of Livestream recordings. Given his steady and unrelenting production schedule, it is perhaps unsurprising that he does not have the time to review all of this material by himself. It is also reasonable to surmise that he is not the best person to objectively review this content in search of the best material. But you are! To come up with the best possible selection of content that will be serve the purpose outlined above, Allan has assembled a team of volunteers who are familiar with his back catalog and motivated to be part of a project designed to serve the larger community of up and coming macro photography enthusiasts. To this end, Allan has asked two very special people, both long term supporters of the channel, to oversee the project. He is proud to introduce Susan Seaford and Amy Ferman as Co-Directors of this important project. Susan and Amy are assembling a team of volunteers, whose names will be released when the selection is complete.

Process

When the Volunteer list has been finalized, the Directors will assign to each volunteer a carefully selected area of focus. In the context of this project, an area of focus will consist of those core materials considered essential to mastery of a specific discipline within macro photography. One such area of focus might be “Focus Stacking”, and the Volunteer(s) assigned to this topic would seek out the best content from the AWP back catalog that addresses this area. The Volunteer(s) working on this area of focus would identify and rank the content blocks that they consider to be most important for a viewer trying to develop skills in that area. The Volunteer(s) may select entire videos or selections from within a larger piece of content, and may even include written content published on the AWP website or the AWP Patreon Page. The Volunteer(s), with input and guidance from the Directors, would also rank the content/content segments in a recommended viewing order. Each area of focus may contain as many content blocks as the Volunteer(s) and Director feel is appropriate, while avoiding unhelpful repetition or redundancy. The Volunteer(s) will be under no time constraints, their results being complete when they so state.

Product

The final product of this project will consist of a YouTube Playlist titled - AWP Macro Essentials (or something similar) and it will be an “on-ramp” for anyone looking to jumpstart their learning experience in macro photography. The playlist will be made up of around a dozen short videos, each addressing a key topic in macro photography. For example, the first video might be titled “AWP Macro Essentials #1 - Basic Macro Equipment” and it will be the first video in a new playlist titled “Basic Macro Equipment”. In each video Allan will briefly introduce the overall topic then talk (again, briefly) about the key points that will be covered in each of the linked videos in the playlist. The links to the videos (as well as links to other content we think is important, like articles, checklists, diagrams, or tables from Allan’s website) will be embedded in the video and listed in the program description. This way, the viewers can jump from content block to content block to find exactly what they need. In some cases the links will direct the viewer to an entire video, while others will direct them to a section of a video or livestream or some other kind of content. At least for now, these links will only be to Allan’s own content, though in the future we may add links to other materials by other teachers. This is also going to be an ongoing project with new videos being added to playlists as other, older ones are removed. Allan will continue to draw on the experience of you, the audience, to determine when a video, or section of a video, should be removed or added to a playlist. Allan will not curate these playlists without input from you - that would defeat the point of the project!

Next Step

If you would like to participate in this important project please visit the Walls App by going to www.walls-app.com and messaging Susan Seaford. Tell Susan you would like to be part of this project and be sure to tell her if there is a particular area you would like to concentrate upon. Ideally, we would have 2-3 Volunteers for each of the selected topics. The actual topics will be finalized when we see how many Volunteers step up. The Directors will make the assignments and finalize the list of topics, distributing a final directory as the project begins. Please direct any questions or suggestions to Susan or Amy, through the Walls App. Allan will give periodic updates throughout the course of the Project.

THANK YOU!!!

The Agony of Moving

Did I say “Agony”? Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but moving has to be one of my least favorite things to do, ever. Moving into a similar sized space, or a little larger, has its benefits. With more room can get more organized, for example. But I am moving into a smaller space, and that is a very different matter. It requires that I not move everything, which is the same as having to choose which chunks of my life am I prepared to amputate so that the rest will fit. That is what I am doing this week, so that when the trucks arrive in a couple of days I will have everything I need separated from everything I will not have room for. And this is the part I have the hardest time with. It is when I discover the sentimental value of things I have been dragging around for decades. You can’t really feel that until you have to leave it behind.

But I should be looking on the bright side, shouldn’t I? This move will be a chance to renew and revitalise the channel, to take advantage new surroundings and new people to provide a rich source of content, and to become more efficient with my insect photography because bug season is getting ready to shrink dramatically (fewer outings, but a renewed sense of urgency to get results). Change is always hard, and a big change like this will be harder than most, but it is the right move at the right time, so it will all work out. Please hang in there with me while I get the hardest part, the physical move, completed. I am not certain how long it will take me to rebuild my photography studio, the video set, and my back office, but I will be working like a madman to get everything set up and operational so that I can get myself back into a production routine as quickly as possible. I appreciate your understanding!

Some announcements…

The theme for the July competition is “It Came from the Grocery Store” - and the rules are as follows:

1) Anything you found, or could have found, at a grocery store (in the US sense of the word - but supermarket would work as well) which is where you go to buy stuff like food and the everyday consumables of life. An eggplant, a magazine, or a roll of sticky tape are all good examples of the things you could find there. A Boeing 767, a collapsible yurt, and a chunk of moon rock are not.

2) Your picture needs to be a MACRO photograph, which I am defining as 1:2 or greater (half life size. This is more magnification that I have used previously so be aware of the change).

3) You may submit one or two entries, unless you have won the AWP competition in the past. Former winners (first place and ties) may only submit one image to this competition in July.

4) The Official Guest Judge for July is Mr. Harold Hall, a seasoned and experienced photography judge and judge educator. Your images will be in good hands!

5) That’s all - have fun and get creative!

When a bad shot becomes a happy accident - artifact or mist?

I have to get back to packing, but I am planning to take some time this evening to publish the results of the July competition - Please be patient just a little longer!

As soon as I land in my new place and find out where the wall sockets are, I will let you know and start getting everything back on track. There will be no livestream on Thursday of this week and Tuesday of next, but I may be able to get one out on Thursday - a week from Tomorrow. I am going to have to cancel this week’s planned Pzoom and I will otherwise keep the schedule as it has been for the last couple of years - so the next Pzoom will be on July 20th which will also be the next Tangent, with Larry Strunk. The next After-Stack will be next weekend, on Saturday the 13th of July, with Bud Perrott.

I hope that covers everything for now, but I do have one last thing I will put out there… If you have thought about supporting the channel in the past but have never got around to it, or if you are feeling the urge to do so now, this would be a fantastic time to make a small donation to the “Gas for two 26’ moving trucks” fundraiser that I just invented. This move has been a lot more expensive than I had expected and your help, if you can manage it, would be hugely appreciated. If you feel so inclined, just click here to be redirected to the place where that can be done! THANK YOU!