Smartphone Closeup Photography

There are several ways to add macro capacity to your smartphone. Often, the native application is limited in it's ability to adjust exposure or get in close to an object. For the photo of the knife blades, I used an app called Camera+. It's macro feature allows you to get quite close to the image.  I used a headlamp as my light source. The image was edited using the "Ansel" filter.

The image below was created using the lens of a disposable camera. The lens fit comfortably between my OtterBox and Iphone 5c. (the lens can be taped on as well.) I placed the camera on a tripod and used the timer feature in Camera+ to limit camera shake. The composition is made up of some key rings, paperclips and a metal pencil sharpener.

This image was taken hand held. I rested the bottom of the camera on the table and used the headlamp (Any light source will work) to illuminate the dollar. I used the zoom to get even closer.

Your assignment is to create 5 different closeup images with your Smartphone.

Here is a photo of the rig I've built (3) to help you take your smartphone close-ups. Your phone sits on the top piece of Plexiglas and you position your camera lens over the disposable camera lens. The object you want to photograph sits on the bottom layer of Plexiglas.

The thickness of the plexiglass will cause some vignetting.

Use the zoom on your smartphone camera app to crop out the rough edges. Here is the same image "zoomed in". I used a backpacking headlamp to light the objects from below.

I switched to a red light for this image....

Make sure you bring items in to photograph!! I know you won't forget your phone. :)

There are a whole world of small objects just waiting for you to explore.

I used an app (free) called Snapseed to give this image it's rough look.

This is of the circuit board that was inside the disposable camera I "borrowed" the lens from.

In this image I placed the lens between my Otterbox and my camera. I used Snapseed to saturate the colors in the image.

I found that I eliminated the vignetting when I took my Otterbox off my Iphone. I placed a cheap ($1.00) LED light under the paper clips. I placed two sheets of blue tissue paper over the light to get the color in the background. (and diffuse the light). 

Experiment!! Have fun. 

I shot hundreds of images using these techniques.

Macro Photography Film

Macro and Micro photography opens a whole new world of subject matter to the photographer. Most cameras can only focus to about a meter (3feet), but with the additions of diopter filters, extension tubes and bellows a normal camera can take some incredible closeups. 

Your Assignment

1. Each group of 4 students will share a roll of film and make 5 exposures.
2. Find small objects that are significant to you. 
3. Create miniature compositions. You still must thank about balance and the organization of the objects on the picture plane.
4. It's OK for the object to "bleed" off the edge of the picture plane. This gives the illusion that something is going on beyond the edge of the image.
5. Use the school camera with the copy stand. Make sure that the aperture is f16 to increase depth of field.
6. Use the "cable release" to ensure that there is little camera shake.
7. Consider "rim" lighting to create shadows.
8. Metal objects make excellent subjects for this assignment.

Make a 5x7 enlargement and mount in on white or black matte board.

Use a #3 polycontrast filter to give your image a bit of snap. (Remember, the higher the number filter, the greater the contrast.)

School Lunch

School Lunch, you love it or hate it. Bag lunch or cafeteria food? Are your friends in your lunch period? Is it crowded? Show me how you see "school lunch". (minimum 2 photographs.)

Recently a lot of people are talking about school lunch. Mrs. Obama's Hunger-Free Kids Act has limited high school lunches to 850 calories.

• Do you feel that school lunch is adequate? Are you hungry? Do you supplement your lunch by buying another lunch? Buying chips from the machine?
• What kinds of foods would you like the food service to add to their menu? (Sushi?)
• Is lunch too long? Would 20 minutes be long enough? 
• Do you study or work on homework during lunch?
• Would you skip lunch if you could leave school 42 minutes early?
• Do you use the school Wifi during lunch?
• Would you like to seek large screen TV's in the lunchroom. What kinds of programs whould you like to watch?

Write a paragraph describing your views on school lunch.

I took a few minutes out of my "lunch duty" to take a closer look at school lunch. I push the garbage can around and encourage the kids to recycle. Occasionally I come upon something like this.....YUK!

Ketchup Art?

Look at the lunch room in a different way. Try different points of views! There is a lot going on there!



The "regular" UNO game.

Digital Photo Restoration

How it's done!

The early photographs taken during the American  Civil War were often made on glass plates. This image of General Sheridan was borrowed from the American Memory Collection for my students to practice with. Photoshop has a host of tools that allow the photographer to rejuvenate old or damaged images.

The Healing Brush Tool is extremely useful for correcting small imperfections like wrinkles or acne.

The Clone Stamp Tool allows for the creation of "patches" where whole sections of the photograph are missing.

Un-restored Image of General Sheridan

Restored Image

Sepia

Sepia

You may remember the horrible smell that chemical sepia toning created in our room. Photoshop allows you to accomplish the same task in a few seconds.

How to do it:

1. Duplicate your restored image and name it Sepia.
2. Image/Adjustments/Hue/Saturation
3. Click on the "Colorize" button and use the following settings. That's it!

Sheridan in Color

Colorizing

Before the invention of color photography, the only way to get a color photograph was by hand tinting. This artistic process had the photographer paint with transparent oil color paint over the photograph. The resulting images had a soft but pleasing look. (Nothing like today's vibrant color.)

Colorizing with Photoshop is easy in concept. You use the paintbrush tool (with a low opacity) to cover areas in color. The application of color in  a realistic manner requires some skill and patience. Large areas can be selected and filled globally using Edit/Fill.

Vignette

Vignetting is the reduction of an images brightness or saturation at it's edge.  Sometimes vignetting is the result of poor optics (toy cameras). Often it is used to draw attention to the main subject. (As in a portrait).

How to do it: 

Selection Tools

1. Make an elliptical selection with the Elliptical Marquee Tool. 
2. Inverse the selection.
3. Select/Modify/Feather. 15 (or more) pixels.
4. Fill the selection with white.

Vignette