Experiment - Reverse 50mm

Oh blog, I did not forget you. It is strange, somehow now that I am not "working" my schedule is even busier than when I was. Maybe I am trying to do all the things I have been wishing I could do when had to work instead. I am not sure but I am having lots of fun. Ok, I miss the paycheck part of my old job, but that is it. Working full-time (though pro bono) for The Mommies Network plus photography have given me a sense of purpose and direction I have not had in years.

On the photography front, I have been learning, challenging myself, and experimenting. Last night I was reading a photography book I just bought, Understanding Close-Up Photography, and the author talks about when he first discovered reverse mounting a lens. He used a 50mm and just held it by hand backwards against the camera. I was thinking, "no way!", so I had to try it.




Who would have thought, a macro lens from my $70 50mm portrait lens?!




The amazing thing to me was not just that this worked, but that these pictures came out as good as they did with me holding the lens, using no tripod, and shooting this inside at night with no flash (and pretty crappy lighting in the room as well).




I did adjust the white balance on all but the yellow flowers since the light in the room has a yellow hue that turned the white to a sort of sepia color.




Now I will have to add reversing ring to my ever growing wish list of camera supplies. This is when that old paycheck would come in handy.

The full set is, as always, on my Flickr account.