Focus, focus, hocus pocus?

I have Little Richard doing some yard work. He can't get onto the porch, but he can crop the longer grass near the porch. Since he wasn't doing well on hay, I decided to move him around the yard spaces to crop up the long bits of grass growing up.

He is doing a pretty good job too.
[Photo taken in the late afternoon when it got sunny!]

During the morning sprinkles of rain yesterday, I headed out to the creek to check on a few things. I was pleased to see that the Ramps are poking up through the debris on the ground.

Each year, I only dig a few up in two different places on our land as they take so long to regenerate if you dig up most of the patch.

I like a challenge. So I decided to try and work with my Lensbaby lens. Everything has to be done in manual. Manual focus, manual ISO [unless you use Auto which some Lensbaby folks say works well]. It is frustrating because it looks in focus but...dang it, it isn't always in focus.

There is something called focus peaking in most modern cameras that can assist with that. But by golly I hadn't figured out exactly how to do that with this lens yet. Of course, here I was in the light rain sitting on rocks, trying to get a manual focus. It isn't easy when you are crouched down on wet rocks in dull light....but....

I missed slightly but still love how the photo turned out.

This is Hammie in the Hamster costume holding a fallen bud from a maple tree. He is overjoyed that spring may actually show up! I was pleased with the Lensbaby effect and that I got pretty close on the focus.

My other 'story' shots turned out miserably.

So before I left, I stopped and did one last try at the mossy log. It worked, I lucked out and got what I wanted in focus! 

I almost never climb over this log without stopping to see if the moss has something new to offer.

When I got back home, the rain turned to snow so after fixing Rich something to eat I started an internet search on how to get focus peaking on a vintage lens that doesn't communicate with the camera. Specifically for the camera I had. 

My Olympus E-M5 iii is my super lightweight camera that I take out on most hikes. I've never had a lens that didn't communicate with the camera before so this was a first for me.

The continual search eventually paid off. Olympus now OM is notorious for having sub-menus hidden in the menus. I fiddled with this and that while watching and stopping a video on this subject.

Eventually I landed on the solution! So I tossed on my coveralls and stocking cap.

I got down on the ground to look at my sad little crocus plants. They've been beaten on by snow, ice, and heavy rain. This was their last gasp.

But the daffodils near the house are getting ready to open their buds so I can go enjoy them in a few days.

I couldn't help but try a few more shots with focus peaking. The one below doesn't have any real importance, it was just a test shot. But the figures are in focus with an f stop of 11. The Sweet 50 allows one to change their f stop whereas the Sol 22 only shoots at f 3.5.

I swapped to the Sol 22 when I got indoors and thought I'd try a shot of Charlie [who is back to himself after his vaccinations 🙌].

I was really pleased with this. Now I can shoot...hopefully, with a bit more accuracy.

However ....

My vote for the day was the Hammie photo. That little figure's expression and happiness is infectious. Even in a drizzly, cold, day, I was able to make myself smile. That shot reminds me of Happiness....

Sometimes you can find it for just a moment anywhere if you look hard enough.

I also found a great use for the Sol 22. 

Portraits! Here is hubby looking out the window deep in thought? No not really, just watching not worrying, not thinking, just...being. Even though he has a nasal cannula on, I think this is a great little portrait of him.

Today is another day. More digging and transplanting is on the schedule after CrossFit. Maybe a quick walk into the forest to look for something interesting.

After all, I have some adventures in mind for my surprise minifigs for celebrating spring.

It looks like midweek will be rainy. I love rainy days too. How about you?

Like it or hate it...I'm having a blast.

I'm not very good at making my figures fly through the air but I thought I'd try a leap.

The easiest way to do this, is put a small piece of wire up their bum and position it so it isn't too obvious. Then take it out in post process. You can actually see it a bit in the upper shot, but it looks so close to the grass I decided just to get rid of the obvious bit.

I am however one of those that are always curious no matter what. I recently got a great deal on something called a Lensbaby. This is considered an 'Art' Lens. These lenses have always fascinated me and I've always wanted to try one. I went with a used Sol 22. It is tiny and it can be a real pain or really cool.

It is a manual focus lens with only an f3.5 aperture. In short, it demands your attention when using it. Many photographers don't see the point of this kind of lens and then there are those who absolutely are wild fans of them. Many say ... well I can just do this post process!

But what it you don't have to do any fancy work? What if it is enough to challenge yourself and try something out of the norm?

All I did here was crop the photo just a bit. The orangish color is from the Ulanzi lights I used to help set the mood to a color to highlight the feeling of rusty junk behind Wall-E and Eve.

I picked these 2 up at a Dollar Store over a year ago and couldn't for the life of me figure out what I wanted to do with them until I felt like experimenting with the Sol 22.

The lens let me make Wall-E the focus of the subject matter with his sad looking face. Eve is obviously there and comforting Wall-E. She is part of the 'story' yet not the main focus.  Anyway, that is how I see it.

This next shot is of Donder. He is a Luggan and I really am not sure what his back story, but he comes labeled as a Luggan from 'Acid Rain'. Apparently in the future, the world as we know it is washed away and destroyed by Acid Rain. There are a lot of figures created around this story.  Donder was interesting and bizarre enough to catch my attention.

In my story... Donder hooks up with the MiniBots to create or find a way to get out of horrors of the world that has gone nuts. 
He and the MiniBots find worm holes and rips in time to transport themselves and anyone else who is willing to pay to leave.

Of course worm holes and rips in time aren't things you can predict....but Donder doesn't really care.

I thought I'd use the Sol 22 with Donder and try something out of this world for lighting. The Lensbaby would focus on Donder and the rest would ... well you can see...

I had a crazy idea of using bubble wrap with mini lights taped to it as a background.

The result was so amazing, that I had to use it in a few more scenarios.

Here is my favorite shot of the experiment.

I used side lights of a yellowish glow to highlight Ailie.

Ailie and Rabbit at the Worm Hole... [not shot with the Lensbaby lens]

One thing led to another and now I'm taking this mini lens with me to figure it out. Manual focus can be hard as well as composing with this lens. In fact there are a LOT of times I wouldn't use it, but it is great for slowing down my thinking process and making me more aware of compositions while using it.

Last but not least. A landscape shot with it.

I didn't like it at first. But it does give me a feeling of huge expanse of the ridge I visit often.

I am embracing this new challenge. Quite fun.

Wait you did WHAT?

I often have to wait for hubby to do something. 

He says I'm going to: ___________ fill in the blank. It is something he needs assistance with because he can no longer do it.

He then will sit down for a bit while I get the ___________ ready. His next move is to proclaim that he is tired and he needs a nap before ___________ing. I'm stuck. He needs to get this done and he puts things off and off and off and ... off. Ask him to get moving and the petulant child rises up and he trundles off to the bedroom and lays down. Another tactic is to ask for a cup of coffee and then sit with the cup for a half hour and not say a word.

I'm not going to get into what _________ was. Just know that it can refer to everything...EXCEPT eating. If it is something regarding eating, he gets to the table OR asks loudly from the other room. *What's for supper, what's for lunch?* You get the idea. Meals? Right now please as if I am a short order cook. 

Meh. Calling me a Cook is really quite the fallacy. I'd rather be a princess.

So during my time periods where I have to sit and wait for him, I generally do some research into something like flowers. What kind of flowers would I like to plant? What kind of flowers would I like to photograph? Which flowers attract butterflies?

And how on earth do some of those photographers get such incredible and ethereal shots? Some photographers use special lenses such as a Helios or a Lensbaby. There are also something called the Sigma Art lens. 

I look at tutorials and sigh at some of the incredible shots these pros take. I don't want to purchase any of those lenses. But I'd like to figure out how to do some of those incredible shots with just a regular lens.

One tutorial suggested some great tips. I know the tips she suggested, but it never hurts to review them after a long winter. Isolate the subject, find a spot of interest, watch the lighting, and a bit of cloud cover is helpful.

Then YouTube suggests another video with 'lens hacks'. I'm curious so I watch it. The guy suggests an interesting idea. Or a horrifying idea!

He suggests putting Vaseline on the lens. It creates a a soft vignette with a lot of bokeh on the edges of the photo.

OH no. Nope Nope Nope.

I watch another tutorial. This guy suggests putting a sandwich bag over the lens to create a soft focus. I try it and it just seems like I'm taking a soft shot. But it is pretty interesting and the photograph he takes looks like Orton Photography.

What if... I place Saran Wrap over the lens and use a hair tie to hold it in place?

And then? What if I use Vaseline on top of the Saran Wrap? 

I pulled the wrap tight and held it with a hair tie. I went outside to take any shot just to see what the results would be.

I couldn't find a flower to photograph but I did find an old Creeping Charlie leaf sticking up near the spring garden.

I was surprised by the circles of light that appeared. They were obviously from the Vaseline. Shooting into the light wasn't really the best thing to do.

So I tried something else.

The effect was pretty neat. The shot through the wrap and the Vaseline did provide a bit of glow around the subjects. This is exactly as I shot it without any touch ups. 

So now I'm wondering how I can use this trick again more effectively.

Another video showed a photographer using a plastic bag like the kind you get when you purchase groceries. She poked holes in the bag over the center of the lens and shot through it. The result was a milky soft looking vignette around her subject.

As I said this is what I am doing while waiting. Waiting for the other half to get ready to do you know...something. 

This isn't always the case. Sometimes the ___________ can be put off until another time. 

This behavior is in his DNA so to speak. Even when he didn't suffer from dementia, he would drag his feet if we had to do something on schedule. I am that person that shows up to a meeting 15 minutes ahead of time. He was that person that figured he'd just show up on 'whatever' time.

I finally gave up. I turned to my photo table and decided to just occupy myself with portraits of two Lego Gym Characters.

No Vaseline, no bags, nothing fancy. Just a piece of foggy plastic with a light under it and my CrossFit Viroqua water bottle behind them.

I thought about the Stud Shooters Challenge of Bad Weather and tried to figure out how to use Vaseline across the bottom of the lens to produce a foggy effect and Baking Soda to create snow.

It was a failure. I spread Vaseline on the bottom of the lens and then used Baking Soda smeared onto the Vaseline to create a fog effect. In retrospect, the Vaseline and the Baking Soda should have taken up most of the lower half of the lens.

However, one experiments and learns. Failure is part of learning.

So yeah. I am experimenting with Saran Wrap, Vaseline, and Baking Soda on a lens. 

Crazy, right?

Yep.

I had to quit because the other half got up and proclaimed that HE was not going to do _____________. And he'd wait until tomorrow.

Well. Tomorrow will come and I'll pull some more patience out of the air somewhere.

But now I have some cool ideas to try.

I can't wait for some spring flowers to appear so I can try these odd and weird methods on them.