The Universe in her Eyes
Doesn't my girlfriend just have the prettiest eyes?
Doesn't my girlfriend just have the prettiest eyes?
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May, 2016Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
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Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
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Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
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Behind The Lens
Location
Here's the great thing about macro photography... You can do it anywhere! The only way you could maybe figure out where this was taken, is by my bedroom window in the reflection of her eye.Time
Inspiration struck late in the day and the sun was disappearing quick. I had to shoot then and there!Lighting
The lighting was a struggle. I didn't want the warm incandescent lights in my room clashing with the cool natural light from the window, so I turned them off. However the light dying outside, I had to push the limits of my cameras ISO, and the limits of my steady hands, to get a properly exposed shot. Let's not talk about how many times I had to reposition myself to not get my shadow on her face...Equipment
This is the cool part. I used a Nikon D750, and an old manual 50mm 1.4 Nikon film lens! Only the lens wasn't on the camera... I turned the lens backwards and held it up against the body of the camera. This is how I got the incredibly close macro.Inspiration
I'd seen a close up shot of someone's face whilst scrolling through Instagram, and thought "let's go closer". My girlfriend has the prettiest eyes, so I immediately grabbed my camera and put it in her face. Easy to say she wasn't impressed.Editing
Due to the technique of holding the lens backwards, the image was quite soft due to light leaks. Lots of curves adjustment to bring back the contrast, and give the photo some body. I loved the little light leaks across the photo and thought it paired well with her incredibly blue eyes, so I upped the saturation there slightly. A little bit of sharpening and voila!In my camera bag
I hike a lot, so my incredible F-Stop camera bag is my mule. I'll almost always have my Nikon D750 with my 24-70mm f/2.8. If I need to go wider, my 14-24mm f/2.8, and longer, my 70-200mm f/2.8. Throw in a flash with a wireless trigger, a nifty 50, a backup body (D7000) for good measure - and you've got what you need to capture just about whatever comes your way. If I'm doing night, or Astro photography, a study tripod is a must.Feedback
You don't need to spend a years wages on gear. Having a camera is enough! That's the beautiful thing about the reverse lens technique I used for this image. It really opens up new channels of creativity. With that level of macro, I can guarantee there's at least ten good shots right by you this second. Interesting textures and patterns are everywhere around you. Notice them!
