Remez Ramblings

One of the advantages of having a camera with a small sensor is that it’s easy and cheap to make lenses that focus to very close distances. Combined with the increased depth of field that the very wide lenses have (and the slower shutter speeds you can handhold them), means that they’re really good for macro style shots.

It’s also easier with a small child to point a mobile phone or small camera at them, than a digital SLR with a great big lens on the front (although Jack is getting better when the camera comes out).

Anyway, this means that mobile phones, and small compact cameras are really good for close up macro style portraits (or still life, or whatever). This one was shot with my K800i with no flash (in fact, 1/20s, f/2.8 at ISO 200).

Admittedly they need more careful processing - here, I used the high pass sharpening method to sharpen the detail, but not sharpen the noise (yes, even at ISO 200 mobile phone cameras exhibit noise!), boosted the saturation a smidgeon, and cropped into 3:2 (I just couldn’t help myself!)

Go on, try some mobile macro magic! (Also featured on PhotoCritic )

Well, Bob originally got this for Jack, who (unsurprisingly) has now grown out of it.

I was really chuffed when it fitted Sonny, who is having a blast in it.

Sadly he doesn’t seem to have the same penchant for metal that Jack did at that age - System of A Down and AC/DC just don’t cut it for this little man. Actually, I’m not sure that any music holds that much fascination for him, when he has such an exciting older brother to crawl after!