Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/26

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Subject: [Leica] Shooting inside drops & other things
From: "Mark Davison" <DAVISON_M@msn.com>
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 08:35:12 -0800
References: <007901c1a375$4c2615b0$0200000a@MARKVAIO> <021401c1a611$a044c1c0$bd3afea9@oemcomputer> <002b01c1a62b$4a957d40$633f4d18@gv.shawcable.net>

Don Dory and Ted Grant discussed, in part:

Don:

> >>Did you try focusing on the image that the raindrops were focusing; I
> think  the image would be stronger.<<<<

Ted:

> Good idea and I don't think too many shooters think in that vain.  Go
> inside.
>
> I've done it with the 60 macro and a macro extension tube and it's rather
> effective. But absolutely  magical with the 100 2.8 macro plus 2, that's
> right, 2 extension tubes and you're really inside the water drop. The
water
> drop is it's own lens and within it, there is it's own picture.  Albeit,
> upside down. ;-)


I have noticed a similar effect with wine in nice high quality nearly
spherical glasses. You get a very clear upside down image which has been
color filtered by the wine. I saw this effect in a restaurant the first
time, and had an irresistible urge to shove my camera 2 inches away from
some poor lady's wine glass, but I successfully beat the urge down.

However, the emotional effect of raindrops on a window with a blurred
background (which emphasizes separation from the outside world, perhaps
confinement and sadness) is very different than the image seen through an
individual drop, which is a fascinating, distorted and often sparkling
experience. Of course our erstwhile optical expert EP may not approve of the
resulting spherical abberrations <grin>.

In terms of focussing past a window with rain on it (as opposed to through a
single drop), I have gotten the best results so far if the rain is really
washing all over the window (such as hard rain on a windshield). This gives
a wonderful distortion. If you focus past a window which just has a few
raindrops on it, they hardly effect the image at all, unless you stop way
down. If there is bright light on the drops you will see bright specular out
of focus images of the drops, which may lead to thoughts of bokeh and
subsequent mild nausea.<squeamish grin>

Mark Davison





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In reply to: Message from "Mark Davison" <DAVISON_M@msn.com> ([Leica] A modest PAW this week)
Message from "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com> (Re: [Leica] A modest PAW this week)
Message from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] A modest PAW this week)