Plum Blossoms

[sidd finch]

I was using a macro lens to get some screen grabs of our Plum tree that is starting to blossom. Always a sure sign spring is on the way (yippie)



Sidd

[momoffduty]

Love the macro shots! Nice use of the light too. Spring is almost here and can only hope.

[Dave McElderry]

Sweet! Nice edit with the cuts to the music.

[Ron Hunter]

Wow, very nice! What macro lens are you using with the GoPro? Did you color correct or was the footage that good looking straight out of the camera?

[sidd finch]

Thank you. Spring is my most favorite time of year. To see the new growth and hear the birds sing it is the best.

The lens I used are 2 Opteka 37mm macro lens (bundled with a fish eye lens) There was no color correction just stills pulled from the video (1080P Narrow mode)

Sidd

[Francesco Carzedda]

Perfect rhythm in showing jewels ...

[Bob]

Francesco, you have the heart of a poet.

[_Paz_]

Sid,

This is beautiful.

[sidd finch]

Thank you Paz, we make Plum jam from the fruit each year and give it away as gifts to our friends. Of course I make sure I do the proper amount of taste testing to get the recepie correct.

Sidd

[_Paz_]

I keep watching it over and over. In fact, you've inspired me to get out and take some macro photos and closeup video of my peach tree, pitiful though the blossoms are this year.

Plum jam. My FAVORITE. And then peach, then blackberry. With fresh baked bread. And unsalted butter.

Geez. Now I'm hungry.

[_Paz_]

Sidd,

This is one of my favorite videos. I keep coming back to it for inspiration. What music did you use here?

The lens I used are 2 Opteka 37mm macro lens (bundled with a fish eye lens)

I've never seen a GoPro in person. Is the lens removable? You say 2 Opteka - does that mean you stacked two Opteka 37mm lenses on top of each other to get these shots?

Is the GoPro lens threaded?

[sidd finch]

Thank you for the kind words. The music is from Killertracks, called ATMOS_32_21_Magical_Phillips_1130. The lens of the GoPro is not removable.

The lens barrel of the GoPro is 25mm which is also a standard camcorder size. I just slipped a 25mm to 37mm adaptor ring (which is threaded) over the lens barrel. The macro lens is then screwed into the ring adaptor. This type of macro lens is threaded on both sides so it allows for stacking of lenses.



I will have to do an update on the tree as it now has a whole bunch of green plums growing nicely.
Sidd

[_Paz_]

I will have to do an update on the tree as it now has a whole bunch of green plums growing nicely.

Please do! I'd love to see it. I've been taking a few pics here and there as my peaches develop. They'll be ready to eat soon. Thanks for the music info too. It is perfect in your project.

So, no threads on the GoPro. You slipped a "step up ring" over the GoPro lens, then screwed two macro lenses on. Right?

I've discovered that two of my videocams do have threads and I bought the correct size step up rings to take them to sizes where I already had a few closeup lenses. I can't say they helped much. I think they are +1, +2, and +4. Then I remembered I have had a Canon 500D closeup lens sitting on a shelf for a few decades and that did make a big difference... although I have't been able to capture translucent ant abdomens.

After that I learned something much more important. I had set my camcorder in macro mode and zoomed all the way in, where I could obtain focus at about 30" away from my flowers. What I learned later is that still in macro mode, if I was zoomed wide... I could get within an inch or two of the flowers and obtain focus while the small flowers (dewberry flowers, not peach blossoms) then filled the screen, without the need for closeup lenses. How I wish I had experimented more when the flowers were in bloom!

[sidd finch]

It is officially the Plum Jam season in the house of Finch. I am happy to share a virtual jar once completed. Last year we had approx. 12 gallons of Plum juice to make jam. All from 1 tree. This year the crop is quite a bit less but the same joy of picking processing and sharing remains.



Sidd

[_Paz_]

Ah, these are beautiful, Sidd! Love the juxtaposition of warm and cool colors.

It's peach harvest time here. My cousin who lives across the street has a few acres of them. The sign out front also says PLUMS are ready too. I need to go over and get some stills and video of plums on the trees. I did get some peaches on the trees last week.

Oh... bought some peaches last week too. PIE TIME!