35mm Adapter Macro Tricks

[Jason Magbanua]

Just wanted to share some of the shots we set up using a 35mm adapter and a short macro lens.

1. best done with a tripod.
2. easy hands please. the ideal is consistent velocity of the pan or tilt.
3. use a small portable light to cast light AND shadows

http://www.myweddingvid.com/videos/35MM1.wmv

4. use found objects to use as foreground. compose them so they're virtually indiscernible. the shadows they cast will make interesting patterns across the real subjects. i used shoes for the coin shot, the cord for the invitation, a pew for the altar shot.

http://www.myweddingvid.com/videos/35MM2.wmv

5. my current favorite - using glittery background for the rings - positioned far enough, the bokeh of the lens will do the rest. slight movement of the background is a great effect and will make it look "shimmery". we were actually rolling a decorative candle behind the ring. some other options include rosaries/beads/shiny metal thingies etc.

6. even without the adapter, try it with your stock lens shooting long.

happy shooting!

[Ethan Cooper]

Very nice work. What macro are you using? Why do I have the feeling I'm about to spend more money on lenses?

[Matthew Ebenezer]

Jason,

With or without an adapter those are great tips.

Love the glittery shot of the rings - gorgeous.

What sort of portable light do you use?

Cheers,

Matthew.

[Jason Magbanua]

Hey Ethan, It's a 50mm 3.5 macro with a 1:1 extension tube.

I have a 100mm macro but It keeps me far away from the subject so I don't use it.

Very cheap on ebay. :)

[Jason Magbanua]

Matthew. It's a portable sony light, the one with a switch for one or two bulbs.

I have a dedo but it's become too cumbersome. Thanks!

[Matthew Ebenezer]

Thanks Jason. I'll check out the Sony light.

Cheers,

Matthew.

[Ethan Cooper]

Would that happen to be a 24-50mm 3.5 macro zoom? (nikon?)
If you're shooting a 3.5 indoors I can see why you'd bust out a light.

Educate me here, what does the 1:1 extension tube do?

Slightly off topic:
I have that same Sony light and while I can't say I love it, I do love it's price, light output, and it uses the same batteries as my cameras. I just wish it was a little softer. It's the HVL-20 or HVL-20DW2 and will cost you around $80. It's a no brainer if you already own Sony cameras that use the L series batteries. If not, you might want to consider other options, but it's not a bad light, just a bit harsh.

[Yang Wen]

thanks for these examples Jason.. the shots look great. What song did you use in the video?

[Jason Magbanua]

Originally Posted by Ethan Cooper

Would that happen to be a 24-50mm 3.5 macro zoom? (nikon?)
If you're shooting a 3.5 indoors I can see why you'd bust out a light.

Educate me here, what does the 1:1 extension tube do?

Slightly off topic:
I have that same Sony light and while I can't say I love it, I do love it's price, light output, and it uses the same batteries as my cameras. I just wish it was a little softer. It's the HVL-20 or HVL-20DW2 and will cost you around $80. It's a no brainer if you already own Sony cameras that use the L series batteries. If not, you might want to consider other options, but it's not a bad light, just a bit harsh.

nope. it's a prime, fixed at 50mm. the light is really more for aesthetic purposes rather than functional. the hard light is excellent for creating deep shadows.

let me see if i can explain the extender accurately - it enables you to have a 1 is to 1 magnification of the subject. ie; the rings are going to be as big as you are as close to it. does this make sense?

[Vito DeFilippo]

That's great stuff, Jason. You remind me to be more creative in my own work. Thanks for posting and the great tips.

[John Moon]

Jmag:

Inspiring....love the textures you used.

-John

[Travis Cossel]

Jason, thanks for posting those clips and the secrets behind them. Very cool stuff, and it's so cool of you to post that because it takes some time and effort on your part. I love the creativity.

A question on getting creative shots. For me it seems like I'm always tied down filming the people of the day, to try and catch good conversational pieces for editing later. I have a hard time finding time to set up shots like these. Do you focus more on filming artistic over documentative? Like when the bride is getting ready are you just grabbing creative shots of her and setting up other creative shots, or are you actually filming significant amounts of conversation between the bride and whoever else is there in the hopes that you'll get something good?

I hope my question makes sense, lol.

[Jason Magbanua]

Perfectly makes sense and wonderful question as well.

For the wedding stuff, we film this before or during the early parts of the bride getting made up - so none of the important stuff gets missed.

I know what you mean regarding conversations and sound bites. But here lies the difference between Filipina brides and perhaps the western ones. Rarely do I get great sound bites / conversations worthy for the documentary.

the reasons abound:
Majority are pretty much quiet
the bridesmaids almost always get ready in another place providing less interaction


More often than not, If I stretch my roll, I get good amounts of silence. So perhaps as an adaptation, instead of waiting in vain for that all important - "oh my God you look so beautiful!!" - I make up for multiple angles and other "creative shots".

It's very different of course for the ones who grew up stateside or are very expressive. Then we extend the roll to get good amounts of laughter and cheer and conversations.

[Travis Cossel]

Thanks for the insight. I guess it is a bit different in my market. There is usually quite a bit of activity when the bride is getting ready. Most of it is not worthy of inclusion in the main edit, so most of it goes into the deleted scenes.

I guess I'm just paranoid of missing something really good because I'm off playing around setting up a creative shot, and then I'll potentially catch all sorts of grief from the bride and family that I missed that moment. It might just be a fear that I need to get over, though.

Anyways, thanks for the answer. Keep up the excellent work!

[Sean Seah]

Wow wee the rolling background is one good tip! Really grateful for sharing :) I shoot with a brevis 50mm F1.4 sometimes but it is only possible with multiple cams. In my country, we only have the budget for one cam most of the time so.. oh well.. I will try doing something like this in bet :)