What an interesting week this will be!

We do indeed! There is so much to talk about this week, I do not know where to begin. How about an update on the studio! I spent the entire weekend and most of last week down here, unpacking, repacking, organizing, reorganizing, re-reorganizing, and so on. Finally, late last night, I was done. Maybe not completely done, but at a very reasonable simulacrum of done. Good enough for right now. I don’t remember if I posted pictures right after I moved my stuff in here, I think I did, but I will post some of them again so that you can see what I am calling progress.

You have no idea (or maybe you do!) how good it feels to be organized after almost getting used to being the complete opposite.

This is only one of several equally weighty burdens that have been looming on the horizon in recent weeks, but I must have been due some decent Karma as several of the others have also moved a lot nearer to completion. I will probably mention a couple of these in this week’s streams, because in a couple of them the progress is very visual. Suffice to say, things feel like they are moving again, and that is a good feeling for someone like me, someone who doesn’t do well at a standstill.

Tuesday’s Macro Talk livestream (8PM central time) is going to be my first step on a very exciting path that has recently opened up for me.

I have talked many times about my interest in finding ways to get over or around the obstacles that have kept high magnification macro photography and the heady world of medium format image-making from ever developing a meaningful relationship. There have been a ton of good reasons for this and that is one of the things I want to talk about on Tuesday. Why are we not using these new 100MP sensors in our photography? It’s not just the price tag - physics has quite a bit to say about it, and I will break down all the objections to using medium format equipment in our kind of photography. And then I will tell you about what has changed and what I am planning to do to take advantage of the incredible opportunity that has just materialized.

I believe that Medium Format Macro photography is a very reasonable concept, and I will start to lay out my plan to prove it to the macro world. It is something that not only can be done, but I think it is something that should be done. I’ll tell you why I think that, but I will also need to get your help - one of the requirements  for a successful proposal is to be able to show some concrete results. In other words, can I demonstrate that if I am successful in showing the macro world that MFM is not just reasonable, but also reasonably affordable, MFM is something that macro photographers would embrace, just like we did with the full frame sensors in the not too distant past. To start gathering some useful data that can get this ball rolling, I would like to get you to answer two questions - questions that will help me gauge your interest in MFM and provide a data baseline from which we can assess the impact of the  work I am proposing to complete over the coming months.

Come to Tuesday’s livestream if you would like to learn more - https://youtube.com/live/F679BHNVGrY?feature=share

You can answer these questions now, by sending me a brief note in the comments below this blog post, or you can wait and give me your answers during the Tuesday or Thursday livestream. But please give me an answer - whatever you think about the project!

Question #1-  If you are not currently using a sensor larger than conventional full frame (>35mm) for most or all of your photography at magnifications greater than 1:1, it is because (answer all that are true):

A) Don’t know anything about it

B) Can’t afford it

C) I’m not convinced it would make much difference in image quality

Question #2 -  Which one of these statements most accurately describes your position on MFM:

A) I am already planning to get into MFM

B) I have no plans but will be very interested to hear what you find

C) I would be interested to hear what you find but I am definitely not interested in MFM for me

D) I am not interested - I thought this was a sewing video

Alright, that’s enough for now - I will explain things more completely in the livestream.

We change gears completely on Thursday when I am taking it out into the garden to prove that I have what it takes to capture stunning photographs of insects in flight (the insects being in flight, not me). The last time I did this publicly I was a little nervous and got a few of the settings mixed up on the Cognisys bugs-in-flight machine, but after a year of almost continuous study and practice (I meant hour, not year), I think I have it this time. I’ll show you the setup and we will get into the most bee-rich environment I have ever seen - a flower bed in the back garden - heaving with hive dwellers of all varieties. This should be fun. The link to the stream is https://youtube.com/live/F679BHNVGrY?feature=share

Saturday is a double header for my Patreon Supporters, with a Pzoom at 10AM (your invitation is over on my Patreon page).

This is a bimonthly gathering of macro-enthusiasts, where we talk about anything and everything macro related, for a couple of hours. It is a great place for people who are trying to learn new stuff or get support from friendly photographers who have already been there and done that. This is one way for me to thank the people who help me pay the bills.

When the Pzoom is over I get a 30 minute break to go get my hair done before I have to be back in the studio for the final event of the week, and it is one of my favorites. The Tangent is a 3D modeling discussion group and tutoring session that is open to anyone who is interested. We talk a lot about Fusion 360 but we can also talk about any other popular CAD platform (I say “we” as if that includes me, which it doesn’t. The “we” I am referring to is Tangent, AKA Larry). If you have a modeling project you would like to talk about during  the program, please get it to Larry well before Saturday - just export the project to your desktop and put the exported file in an attachment with an email to tangent@tangent3d.com

Then all you have to do is remember to show up on Saturday at 12:30 - here is your reminder and an invitation.

Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: The Tangent with Larry Strunk

Time: Aug 31, 2024 12:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=89308933880

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

Phew - that is a lot of stuff for one week, and I didn’t even get into the rig I am working on - I will on Tuesday, as it is an important part of the same discussion.

Hope to see you soon! Allan