Innovation & Invention in Macro Photography

Saturday saw the advent of a new kind of Pzoom, and in the process we set a new standard by which future episodes will be measured. If you were at the meeting this past Saturday, you will know what I am talking about. If you were not able to make it, watch the recording and you will. If you have not yet taken the plunge and joined our tight-knit group of Patreon supporters, this might be the time to do so - this remarkable episode, described below, will only be available for two more weeks! By joining Patreon you will make it possible for me to continue my work - your monthly contribution through Patreon is my sole recurring source of income. Your membership is also the best way to make sure you don’t miss anything I do on the channel. Please visit https://www.patreon.com/allanwallsphotography for all the details.

I am immensely grateful to Claus and to Bud for all the work that they put into the discussions featured in this episode. I wanted to give you a little of my own perspective on both of these presentations and how they came to be on the agenda this weekend.

Claus Giloi is relatively new to macro photography and our paths first crossed when he joined my Patreon group and inquired about getting some one-on-one instruction. Whenever I take on a new student, the first thing I always do is spend an hour looking at the photographer's recent work and talking to them about their goals, interests, and the challenges that prompted them to ask for help. I came away from our first session wondering what I could possibly do to help this artist achieve his goals. I'm still wondering!

Photograph courtesy of Claus Giloi - used by permission

When I saw the work that Claus was doing with a field rig conceived and designed to test the hypothesis that many of the difficulties of handheld stacking could be overcome using ultra-high speed captures and high-intensity continuous light, I knew he was onto something important. I also knew that you would want to see how it was done. What I didn't know was whether Claus would be willing to give us a glimpse behind the curtain. I got my answer on Saturday!

Image courtesy of claus Giloi - used by permission

In retrospect, we could have easily filled the entire Pzoom discussing this technique, and exploring all the possibilities it raises. But that would have to wait for another opportunity as it was time to shift focus from the field to the studio and our second presenter of the morning.

I have known Bud Perrott since the earliest days of this channel. I have worked with him in his studio and he has worked with me in mine. Bud is a very talented and experienced photographer and is widely recognized as one of our most innovative and creative users of image editing tools like Lightroom and Photoshop. But when we first met he was just beginning his exploration of extreme macro photography.

Bud is one of those photographers who has never met a piece of equipment or an imaging technique that he couldn't come up with a way to improve (with the possible exception of a certain 95mm Printing Nikkor - more on that later). Now, this is not an entirely unfamiliar characteristic of macro photographers, but Bud has taken it to a whole new level.

Image by Bud Perrott - used by permission

The images Bud is capturing with his custom-built vertical platform, unique rim lighting technique, and exotic Printing Nikkor speak for themselves, but the numerous and complex modifications to his vertical shooting platform do require a little explanation. And that is how we spent the second hour of Saturday's Pzoom meeting.

Both of our presenters did an extraordinary job of summarizing the key elements of their equipment setups and workflows, and both did so with an infectious enthusiasm that only added to the sense that we were experiencing something significant in the growth and development of our macro photography community.

As always, the recording from the Pzoom meeting is available over on Patreon for all my Patreon supporters. If you couldn't make it on Saturday, watch the recording and tell me what you think - is this something you want to see more of? Is there something that you would like to contribute? Maybe there is some idea you have been playing around with , but you aren't sure how to flesh it out? Well, this is what I want to talk about this week - innovation, invention, and education in macro photography.

Starting Tuesday with Macro Talk, when we take a close look at the process of innovation - here is your link - https://youtube.com/live/bGmW4saSWJo?feature=share

Sometimes innovation isn't enough, and you need to invent something entirely new to bring your cool idea from imagination to reality. On Thursday I will give you some practical steps that you can take to make that happen.

Want to join the livestream - well here is your link - https://youtube.com/live/2vOzW5PVW4A?feature=share

If you make it all the way to Saturday and still haven't had enough macro to call it quits for the week, why don't you join Bud Perrott and myself for an hour and a half of positively practical, potentially pleasant, post-processing prattle, starting at 10AM...

Here is your invitation to the discussion - Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: AfterStack with Perrott & Walls

Time: Sep 21, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=86902366269

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

In Tuesday’s livestream I mistakenly announced that our 3D modeling program, Tangent, was coming up this weekend - it is not - it is next Saturday at 12:30 PM, right after the Pzoom meeting. I will post the invitation with next week’s post

And to wrap things up for now, here are two photographs from last week's picnic that you have probably already seen, but because I like both of them, you get to see them both again! As requested, I have included the names of the participants. Both pictures were shot by George Simpkins and are used with the photographer's permission. Who knew that IR portraits could be so flattering!?

image courtesy of George Simpkins and used with permission

(L to R) Bob Fine, Mark Seaford, Susan Seaford, Jeff Melone (Zeno), Alan Recktenwald, Allan Walls, Laura Guyon, Bill Bromer, Amy Ferman, Tom Biegalski, George Simpkins

Image courtesy of George Simpkins, used by permssion