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Headed out for a brief road trip, and there's a story to be told from every adventure. Here are a few things I learned behind the lens on my recent trip to the Chicago suburbs.
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Winter locks away so much of life, with the air feeling cold and crisp and remote, the water retreating to ice and an unwelcome green-blue-black churning, and the land hiding, waiting. We hide and wait, too. But now that warmth has come back to us, these all mix together again, forming this kind of stew of being alive.
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One of my favourite things to shoot with my trusty macro lens is plants and flowers. The depth of field you can get with a nice flower is just unbelievable, and it takes this small bit of nature and brings it up to a scale where we can appreciate it.
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On one side is a small commuter town with a lot of growing businesses on its borders. On the other is an old railroad town that has exploded with new development, big box stores, and lots of traffic. In between is this hidden little gem.
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You've got the basics of using your macro lens down; now let's take it outside! There are some unique challenges to shooting outside with a macro, and the next few tipsters will help with a variety of scenarios.
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So you've got your spiffy new macro lens. Cool! I bet you can't wait to make those tiny things in your world explode onto your negatives. This week, I'll have a look at taking macro shots indoors and how to make the most out of the smallest.
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For fans of unpredictable films, shooting with the Fuji T64 is a must. This film gave me a spectrum of sky colours with a relatively normal, sunny day. Grab a roll and come explore!
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I've done locations on Hancock and McLain State Park, but what's equally important is the road that connects them, M203. It's a nicely paved stretch of two-lane highway, and some of the views are just ridiculously nice!
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I love living in an outdoor paradise, but I happen to work in the basement (okay, "garden level") of a building at Michigan Tech. Make no mistake, Tech is an incredible place, and there's nowhere I'd rather work, but with no windows, I frequently make my escape to take photos on campus!
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Through a normal lens, the world is pretty darn cool. There are films galore, to say nothing of filters and settings, to make that world even cooler.
But with a macro lens, even the smallest parts of your world can come into focus. So come on along for a series of tipsters on how to get the most out of your macro lens.
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I live in a university town. A two-university town, actually, but the bigger of the two is Michigan Tech, an amazing place that no book could cover, let alone a simple location posting. I'm no expert on all of their programs or people, but I do enjoy wandering through the campus, capturing the sights and having the chance to say hello to a few people.
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Everyone has their favourite place to be, where they go when they want to reset and recharge. For me, it's McLain State Park, about two miles of rocky beach on the southern shore of Lake Superior.
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Cross-processed films are known for their amazing colour rendering. I figured there was a pretty good chance a sea of snow would do something interesting. And it did. While I'm not sure I love it, the Peacock plays well in the snow.
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Spring may have sprung in a lot of other places several weeks ago, but the snow is just now clearing away here in the last week of April. Still, even with the delay, the world is coming alive with color, and the right analogue touches make it explode even more!
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This will work with any camera with variable aperture, but here are some tips (some learned the hard way) on how to shoot on those blazingly sunny, blue sky days.
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The Spinner 360 is a great camera for capturing friends all in one circle. It's a moment in time, a chance to see everyone together. But the 360 is also excellent if you're lucky enough to live near a shore. Here's how it fairs as a friend/recorder on the shores of Lake Superior
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The Fisheye One Nautic's happy sea theme gets you closer to the water, but remember to also get close to your subject while shooting with this fun little toy!
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Living in a university town that was once home to the first mineral boom in the United States leaves behind lots of interesting places... but not that many people.
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Calumet is an odd hybrid of a town: both historic and functional, dying and vibrant, a conundrum with excellent restaurants.
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I have six Lomography cameras now, and the Diana was the one I saw being the least useful. This little toy wonder has very quickly become my favourite, though. Not sure if a Diana is for you? Maybe I can help.