Day 2

MSR Pocket Rocket camp stove

Macro Monday!


The goal of this shot was to get a unique shot of my camp stove out in natural sunlight. I'm using my Nikon D3000 and 18-55mm lens with an additional 10x closeup lens. This was shot in manual mode, 1/125 shutter speed @ F8, ISO 100. This shot was not very technical. I just positioned the stove, then positioned the camera below and angled up in order to use the tree in the background as a dark backdrop. I tried using the bright blue sky but I found that there was not nearly enough contrast in the shot. After I repositioned the stove, and used the tree as the backdrop, I was rewarded with a great new angle of light that brought out these beautiful colors in the metal.


This shot is very interesting to me. The swooping angles of the stove head mixed with the vibrant colors of the metal creates the illusion of dripping paint. It's almost as if you can imagine lighting the stove and heating the metal to the point that it melts and drips to the ground. The bright colors contrast with the dull metal in a very captivating way. This juxtaposition is set in focus just left of center and draws the eye to it, but the composition is completed by the negative space, right of center, that creates a mirror of the stove head.


I am fairly happy with this shot in both its composition as well as its technical execution. The photo, if blown up, will show that the letters are actually not in sharp focus. I do not have the correct equipment to do professional level macro photography. The closeup lenses are a fun way to get closer to the subject and bring out some great detail. However, I will need more specialized equipment to fully explore the macro world. I doubt that I will have the capital to invest in a dedicated macro lens, but I hope that I can soon invest in a good set of extension tubes. Despite my lack of a dedicated macro setup, I am fairly pleased with this shot and believe that it is worthy of the Day 2 post.


Macro Monday! I thought that it was a pretty catchy phrase. I do believe that I will dedicate Mondays to macro photography from here on out. Too bad I don't have a telephoto lens for Telephoto Tuesdays! Wide Angle Wednesdays? I got nothing for Thursday and Friday...