Day 5.1: 100% crop of spider. Not the same shot as last post.
Day 5: Spiders appear everywhere in our yard during the fall. I don’t know much about spiders. I just like to photograph them.
Macro photography fascinates me. The universe is full of amazing detail, yet our natural abilities are restricted to a scale that matches our body size and survival needs. Technology can expose hidden worlds. Whether we use a telescope or microscope, we scope our way through spaces big and small. We scope to learn and understand.
Day 4: On days that I don’t get a chance to take new photographs I will be posting ones from my archive. This is an abstract shot that I took from the top of Nob Hill in 2005 from my 20D.
For something to be abstract (in my opinion) it must not resemble anything culturally identifiable. It must stand on its own. Reference nothing. There is something very satisfying when art can transcend what we ‘know’ and convey meaning without touching the literal.
It is very rare for me to capture an abstract image. Most of the time it happens in the moment. Usually an unexpected effect will present itself. And I roll with it, seeing where it will take me. Those moments are golden.
Day 3: After much procrastination, I am getting around to digitizing my vinyl record collection. It mostly consists of Chicago House and a few subgeneras of Techno - all released in the 1990s.
I decided to drop the saturation a bit from these images to make the mood more serious. Serious like I am about to spend hours babysitting the digitizing process. I tend to push the saturation up when processing my photographs, so this is a departure from my norm.
Day 2: Today I sent my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM off to the Canon Factory Service Center for a cleaning. They are going to take it apart, clean the elements, test the IS chip, calibrate the optics and put it all back together. I love this lens and want to keep it in the best running condition possible.
Canon says I should expect the lens back within 10 to 14 days. That’s very reasonable. I hear the return time is longer from December through January, which seems to be the timeframe pro photographers choose to clean their gear.
USPS insurance guidelines say that you should insure an item at its depreciated price. That means the price it would cost you to replace it. A quick look at the completed listings on eBay will do the trick. I was happy to find a used 70-200mm f/2.8 IS on eBay goes for $100 less than what I paid for it in late 2005. I have read that that lens holds its price. Can’t believe it holds it that well!
One way I check to see if my lens is dirty or if I have a dirty sensor (which is rare with the Canon 5D MarkII due to its vibrating cleaning function) is to shoot the sky. I usually take two images: one in focus and one out of focus. The blue sky provides an even-enough image to identify spots and dust.
There you have it. A blue sky. And a clean lens and sensor.
