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In my most recent photo exploration I went on a expedition into the North Georgia wilderness in search of a hidden spring that went by the name of “Mountain Pool.”
I found out about this spot from a local living near one of my past nature jaunts. According to my source this old spring used to be used by the local community for social occasions and a source of water.
I hope you enjoy the video!
Do you own any old camera lenses? Like maybe something you inherited from a parent or relative? Does that sparkling glass seem to have grown dimmer and dimmer lately? If so, you might be suffering from lens fungus.
- scroll down to see the video tutorial -
Yep, I said – fungus. How can a camera lens get a fungus you ask? Well… its most common in really humid locations. What happens is that fine mold particles, which are everywhere get inside the barrel of the lens. Even the most sealed lens out there has somewhere that this microscopic stuff can find its way in.
photo: petrichor
After it gets there it lies dormant until something, like moisture, causes it to bloom. When it does it will slowly grow inside the barrel and across the glass. If it stays on long enough it can permanently etch the glass surfaces. Say huh? Yep, thats right – most fungus, or any life for that matter have to poop. This “poop” will slowly eat away at the surface of the lens, eventually lowering the IQ.
So, what do you do? Well – watch the short video tutorial to see how I dealt with some lens fungus on one of my lenses.
Some tools you could need for this project:
Plan on taking around an hour to take the lens apart and reassemble it. Make sure to document each step, you will forget things – believe me.
More tips:
Use a flashlight to see if you actually have fungus on your lens. Take a small light, go into a dark room and open the lens up. Shine the light up into the lens at an angle. Look at the glass from an angle and look for really gross stuff like this:
Photo by: vickie_s
More photography tutorials:
I hope this short tutorial helps you out with your dirty lens. Feel free to leave some comments or tips on how you’ve cleaned your camera lens as well!
Do you ever wonder how some photographers get that nice even light in some of their images? Well, one way that do that is by using something called a “light tent.” There are many varieties and styles of these things that you can purchase online or at a photography store. But, I’m going to give you a short description of how to make one yourself.
Here are the things you will need to build your own light tent
1.Tape up your cardboard box just like you were getting ready to ship off your cat.
2. Take your knife and cut a square in each side of the box. Leaving a each edge to support the frame, sort of like a skeleton of the box.
3. Use your scissors and cut a square of the sheet you stole off your moms bed. Make them slightly over-sized so you have an edge to tape with around the portholes you created in each side of the box.
4. Use the white duct tape and attach the fabric. Wait! Don’t put it on one side, you need a place to stick your camera and junk into the box.
5. Now to the inside of the box. Take more white tape and seal and areas of the box so that its nice and sturdy.
6. This part is where you take the poster board and create a back wall in the box. Cut it large enough to create a gentle curve, no visible lines. Tape it in with more white tape so that its secure.
At this point your tent is ready. I usually look around inside and cover any exposed areas with more white tape so that everything is nice and even.
I use two or three light sources depending on the type of light I’m trying to get. Normally the bulbs are just standard 60 watt household bulbs. Tip, set your white balance to tungsten or your images will come out sorta funky.
More tutorials: