I've been toying around with taking ultra-macro shots with my digital camera. The results are pretty amazing considering they were shot with a cheap $100 Olympus and a homemade lens adapter I made with a binocular lens and film canister. Details here - [link]
Following some advice from a friend of mine, who is a professional photographer, I substituted the clear Fuji style canister with a black Kodak can. This blocks stray light and makes the shots clearer. The Tree Frog was only about 3/4" long and I couldn't get all of him in the shot. I cut the canister down to get the binocular lens closer to the camera lens, this allowed me to zoom out without the can in the shot. Since the day I took the Dragonfly I haven't seen another one. I've been trying to get another shot with the cut down can so I could get the whole dragonfly. Maybe they're gone for the season. Oh well, at least this one left a parting shot.
I haven't been doing much painting lately and even less metal work. My little girl is almost three and a half so I've got more time to spend creating. Unfortunately when I moved I lost the metal shop and working in the dirt out back isn't very inspiring. My easel is set up behind the toilet in a cramped bathroom, which until very recently had a crappy fan. At least now I can paint when the mood strikes.
Something's gotta give!! Either we're gonna move soon or I'm gonna build a shop on this little postage stamp of a yard my wife built her house on. I don't miss my house as much as the garage...