Photographer Alexey Kljatov has taken some truly awesome photographs of snowflakes using a homemade macro rig which he has created using a inexpensive 44M-5 Helios lens and a Canon Powershot A650. Kljatov cobbled the two pieces of photography equipment together using board, tape, a screw, and a piece of glass check out the rig after the jump.
“At first, i attached these lens at narrow wooden board (around 30 cm long), reversed: a back lens to snowflake, front lens to camera, and drilled in a board an opening for a screw suitable to tripod nest of the camera. Then camera is put on a board so that the lens in the maximum optical zoom mode (6x) touched Helios lens and looked straight into them.
I attach the camera by a screw and additionally with metallic bracket, glued to the board, it holds opposite side of camera, so it didn’t move anywhere. On Helios’s back side (which is front of whole construction) i attached three standard narrow extension rings from Zenit camera (this is needed only in case of shooting at glass surface with backlight).
This holds lens at needed focusing distance from the glass with snowflakes (2,5-3 centimeters). Place of connection between internal and external lens i covered with some sort of skirt, maked from black plastic bag: this protects connection point from outer light, snow, ice and waterdrops. All design turned out rather strong and steadily stands vertically with lenses looking down. I simply put it on glass over the chosen snowflake and shoot at maximum optical zoom instead of macro mode. Camera’s autofocus works well.”
If you feel inspired to take some macro photography yourself jump over to Alexey Kljatoy’s website for full details on how he created these awesome snowflake photographs and for loads more awesome photos.
Source: Digital Trends : Alexey Kljatov : Beautiful Decay : The Phoblographer
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