Junior Ring Macro Photography Experiment

So, last night was the family-inclusive Junior Ring ceremony for my daughter’s Class of 2017. It was a new event and really nice. The parents were given the rings before the ceremony and, at an announced time, each parent would present their student with their ring. We also had the Girl Child’s best friend and fellow classmate with us, whose parents couldn’t attend, so we got to present two rings.

After we took the girls out to a celebratory dinner, dropped the friend off, and returned home, I was looking at my daughter’s very tiny ring and, of course, I saw an opportunity to play with my macro filters. LOL (And to create a macro “studio” out of crap that was within arm’s reach of me at the kitchen table. See below for that. LOL)
 

Now, the Girl Child is the textbook definition of “Petite.” She’s 5’1″ and slim. Her hands and fingers are very delicate. I think her ring was ordered at a size 5.5, if I remember correctly. So this ring is itty-bitty. I have to admit, thought, I am impressed that I got the detail off it I did with this filter set I have.

To make the “studio,” I used the 10x filter on my 50mm prime lens, a black headscarf covering my computer mouse to serve as a display stand, my black wallet to serve as the background, my cellphone flashlight balanced on top of a tall travel mug for light, and an envelope to deflect the fill flash. Talk about “makeshift.” LOL! That’s a Poor Man’s Macro studio set up if I ever heard of one. But, the result is that I can see the details of the crest on the stone that are impossible for me to see with my naked eye.
 

Here you can see the initial of her first name, the official symbol of the International Thespian Society, and her Thespian Troop number.

And, on this one, you can clearly see her 2nd initial, her first name, and her Student Council symbol.

While these are not perfect by any means, and considering that I am not primarily a macro photographer, these came out way better than I expected. It was a lot of trial and error and a bit of HDR in the post-processing, but I have to say – for what I spent on this macro filter set, I think they do a pretty decent job! With a better setup and lighting, a true defuser on the flash, and a brighter background, I think this set could turn in some very nice macro images!

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