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Refracting Dew Droplets

I’ve always wanted to take pictures of refracting dew droplets, but thought I had to wait until I had a super strong macro lens. Of course there is a digital simulation of a macro lens in my pocket camera, but I hadn’t thought it would be strong enough to get so close.

I was tramping about in the snow with my daughter, and noticed her taking close ups of the branches in the sun where there was some melting going on. She was actually capturing water droplets, but not the reflection.

I decided to try some shots of refracting dew droplets. The macro lens simulation on my pocket camera couldn’t get in very close, but I discovered it was taking clear pictures from about six inches away. I came home and cropped this one to zoom up even closer, and discovered I had captured the exact image I had wanted in the droplet!

Now that I know I can get refracting dew droplets with the macro lens setting on my pocket camera I’ll be having a barrel of fun with it!

Polarizing Filter for a Pocket Camera

Face it. As far as I know there is no such thing as a polarizing filter for a pocket camera. Most filters can be simulated by the cameras settings or later by adding effects with photoshop or a similar program.

Polarizing filters, on the other hand just can’t be digitally copied. They actually filter out light waves that are vibrating in certain directions and end up taking a completely different image without much of the reflected light that enters the lens without one. They are essential if you want to take pictures with a deep blue sky and vibrant colors.

I really wanted a polarizing filter for a pocket camera, so I went out and bought a cheap pair of sunglasses with one of those “polarized lens” stickers on it. I then popped one of the lenses out of the frame so I had a piece of polarized plastic to work with. A simple rubber band worked to asphix the “filter” to my pocket camera, and wah lah! I have a polarizing filter for my pocket camera for close to nothing spent and am ready to create compositions with a deep blue sky in them.

The photo above is a blue sky taken without a polarizing filter. It’s ok, but the sky is a bit pale, and has a greenish smoggy tint. Compare it with this one that I took with my makeshift polarizing filter for a pocket camera. You’ll see the blue sky is much deeper, and the white clouds are whiter as well.

I’ve found the rubber band takes a bit too much time to fiddle with, and have learned to simply hold the sunglass lens in front of my camera while I shoot. It takes some juggling, but but I’m pleased with the results.

Controlling Depth of Field With a Pocket Camera

I’ve covered the problem of controlling depth of field with a pocket camera once, but found some interesting information since then.

The idea in controlling depth of field with a pocket camera, or an camera, is to create a photo composition where the subject is in sharp focus, and the background is blurred. This produces a clean result that draws the eye to the subject without compromising the richness of color in the background.

This type of photo composition is normally achieved by adjusting the aperture, or f-stop, and the actual distance to the subject. A larger aperture (smaller f-stop number) and shorter focal distance will result in a narrow depth of field and serve to produce a photo composition with the desired effect.

This is all very well and good with a proper SLR, but sadly, most pocket cameras have such a tiny lens that it isn’t practical to change the aperture, so there are no f-stop settings.

There is a theory that controlling depth of field with a pocket camera is possible by zooming up on the subject, but in actuality, if you zoom up on the subject, you will have to step back and increase the distance, so the depth of field remains essentially the same. There is some merit in using the macro setting and making sure the background is some distance away from the subject, which will work to some extent for flowers and other small objects, but of course wouldn’t be practical for a larger photo composition such as a portrait.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, pocket cameras are set to focus on as much of the frame as possible. In other words, it’s set to have the largest possible depth of field, which essentially renders controlling depth of field with a pocket camera impossible.

Cell phones, on the other hand, are usually set to have the sharpest possible focus for any given object, and have a shorter depth of field. This photo was taken with a Japanes Panasonic cell phone (905i) with a 5.1 megapixel camera. I’m not familiar enough with i-phones to know if they would work the same way. Perhaps someone who has one could comment on this?

Getting a Snapshot Portrait Worth Framing

I’m sure we all have many chances to whip out a pocket camera and take a quick snapshot portrait of friends and family. Usually these opportunities are in less than ideal conditions, and quite often the subject isn’t exactly happy about having their portrait taken just then so if you’re anything like me, most of your snapshot portraits are not something you’d want to put on the wall. Their only value is to help you personally remember the moment.

I had an opportunity like that at a Chinese restaurant last week. I went to lunch with two sixth graders who had worked on a speech contest with me and their mothers. After we all took a group picture, I asked the boy if he would mind sitting for a snapshot portrait real quick. Of course he would mind. What 12 year old boy wants to sit there while his English teacher takes his picture? But he really is a forbearing kid, and reluctantly agreed.

I knew I only had a matter of seconds to get it right before his patience wore thin. I tried natural lighting first, but since I had no tripod, it was just a blur, so on went the flash. Next I just asked him to say “swimming.” (I hate having people say “cheese” – must be where the expression “cheesy grin” comes from.) That was a disaster. His eyes were squinted to nearly closed, and he had a painful grimace that would have convinced you he had appendicitis.

There are three really beautiful qualities about this boy. His hair’s always standing on end like an oriental version of Tom Sawyer, he has a quizzical half smile on his face much like the Mona Lisa even when he’s being serious, and his black half moon eyes fill up a huge part of his face. I think in order to take a successful snapshot, you really need to stop and think about what makes that person beautiful or unique, and try to capture it.

In this case, I couldn’t emphasize the hair. The flash made it blend into the background. So I asked him not to smile (the smile would be there anyway) and to look up. He promptly pointed his whole head at the ceiling, and all I got was neck, so I asked him to look down, and then move only his eyes up to the ceiling. Viola. It wouldn’t win a photo contest, but it captures this particular boy’s strengths, and when I showed it to his mother, she nearly wept. I’ll be giving her a print, and I know it will be displayed somewhere, even though it’s only a quick snapshot portrait with a pocket camera in a dark restaurant.

Now if only I had asked him to fix his collar…