Hark 2019

Eventually I want to photograph all of the memorial benches at a local park. So today I used my lens ball. These are just a couple of the images from today's outing.

---

› See More: Hark 2019

nice shots Cindy, are you on your tripod??

Originally Posted by Roy1961

nice shots Cindy, are you on your tripod??

I envisioned a tripod up my arse!!! Lol.

No, I used my 105mm macro since it allows close focusing with VR and held the ball as far ahead of the lens as I could. My right hand held the camera. I don't know if BBF would work well in this case, but I used the regular shutter release button for both focusing and shooting. I'm not sure if I would be able to reach quite as far in front if the camera was on a tripod. But I also never tried.

The original thread/article that Nikonpup posted mentioned focusing manually. Well...forget that! I missed too many that way. I stopped down enough to keep the subject in sharp enough focus and used AF. If there is a horizon line in the pic, you can make it appear curved by positioning your subject either higher or lower within the ball. That makes more of a fisheye appearance inside the ball. The 105mm lens just fit the 80mm ball within the frame although there were times when I didn't quite position the ball totally within the frame. You can see in one of my photos that the bottom of the ball was slightly cut off.

Not sure if using a remote would work in this case. Focusing specifically on the subject is key (VR helps immensely due to such close focusing while your outstretched arm struggles to hold still). If you focus elsewhere within the ball, the subject can appear slightly soft (not quite in focus).

If you don't yet have a ball, this 80mm one is by Merry Nine (Amazon). My first ball was also thru Amazon but was made by Amlong (also 80mm). There were too many imperfections that showed up in the Amlong ball so I don't recommend it. This Merry Nine ball is a much better quality. If you are in a warm to hot location with the sun out, a good quality crystal ball heats up REALLY fast! Putting it in a pocket won't help because it still reacts to sunlight through some clothing. The Amlong ball wasn't as good a quality and didn't cause the heat. The better quality crystal will act like a magnifying glass that gets hot. When I was out the other day, I carried a small camera bag just for the ball. The bag was thick enough to cut the sunlight and allow the ball to cool. But the temperature was in the 40's or 50's so the ball never got hot anyway...just warm.

lol (tripod), i have one Cindy, other than setting it on a wall/ground i hadnt worked out how to use it.

You said arse

Originally Posted by Roy1961

lol (tripod), i have one Cindy, other than setting it on a wall/ground i hadnt worked out how to use it.

If your subject is located beneath trees, the camera might focus on the leaf reflections instead of your subject. I had that happen with one particular bench that was sitting beneath 2 trees. I could see the bench in the ball with my naked eye, but the camera almost always focused on the leaves overhead that were reflecting on the glass. You couldn't even see the bench in the pics--unfortunately I already deleted those files.

If you are going to hold the ball with your hand, you need to keep watch where your fingers are located. I've had a few where a finger blatantly showed through the ball.

This first one is an example but is nowhere near as blatant as a few of the files I already deleted. And also be aware of your shadow. I had trouble getting a good image without my shadow from the left front of the bench. I blurred the names on the plaques for their loved ones privacy.

The first image is hazier than the second. That has to do with how the sun hits the ball. Some angles to the sun simply don't work well. And it's in the hazy images where you might encounter the most problems. If you specifically want to photograph something from a particular angle but see a lot of haze, you might want to go at a different time of day.



You can tell my fingers are still located behind the ball but don't show up inside it. It's best if you try to hold the ball from its sides though rather than having any fingers behind. Just be aware of what you actually see within the ball.

Took this the other day. I turned my car around and went back to ask if the flag could be taken down. The person was very humble, and despite the freezing temps while they were dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and bare feet, he/she went right over and took it down. It's not the kind of thing I like to see and have no idea how anyone could leave it flying in this condition. I also mentioned the only flag drop box that I knew of so it could be retired with respect.

This is the inside roof of a small pavilion. The eerie glow was from light reflecting off of ice on the ground. I could have removed the glow during post processing but decided it adds an element of weirdness.



And I noticed a new memorial bench. The person chose a fantastic place--right between two trees. No doubt this bench will be used a lot by park visitors especially during the hot summer months.

Originally Posted by hark

Took this the other day. I turned my car around and went back to ask if the flag could be taken down. The person was very humble, and despite the freezing temps while they were dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and bare feet, he/she went right over and took it down. It's not the kind of thing I like to see and have no idea how anyone could leave it flying in this condition. I also mentioned the only flag drop box that I knew of so it could be retired with respect.

Thank you Cindy, for your taking time to show respect for our flag and country.

Originally Posted by cwgrizz

Thank you Cindy, for your taking time to show respect for our flag and country.

Thanks, Walt. This isn't the kind of subject I like to photograph but felt it was necessary. Unfortunately not everyone notices.