Tiny rainforest mushrooms

The mushrooms I find in my area's rainforests are usually small, very small.
They often grown on rotten downed branches where there is plenty of moisture.


adapted Fujinon 55mm f2.2   1/13sec

Some are really delicate with an almost see-through consistency, some are very colorful but I don't believe any are edible.


adapted Fujinon 55mm f2.2  1/6sec

Trying to capture the magic in the depth of the rainforest requires a steady hand and careful focusing: I also wanted to emphasize the beauty by consciously framing them with lenses that produce an unusual look.


refitted Helios-89 30mm f1.9 (from 1/2 frame FED Mikron)  1/50sec

adapted Fujinon 55mm f2.2  1/60sec


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Texture and patterns in the bokeh

I am drawn to the abstract pattern that a lens can create when the the whole subject can not be in focus resulting in some areas of the image blurred.
Much can be said about bokeh and it's rather impossible to be fully quantified or describe it but most purist cherish the "smooth" out-of-focus backgrounds.
I, on the contrary, prefer to find lenses that offer "texture" in the blurred areas of my images.


refitted projector lens 35-KP 1,8/120   1/640sec

I do understand that such traits in these lenses are not so well suited for subjects where the attention should remain in the in-focus areas but a lot of my photographs are often of close-up and semi-abstract subjects where a "busy" bokeh might be the crucial component of an image


adapted Pentacon 50mm f1.8  1/1600sec

Initially my visual adventures were concentrated on "bubbles" in the bokeh; now I am pursuing the textured, busy and "weird" bokeh.
Some lenses are specifically sought after for those incredible traits and unfortunately my favorite looks are out of my price range (like the Dallmeyer Super-Six 102mm f1.9 lens)

Slowly I am starting to understand which subjects, what patterns and what light will be a suitable theme for my experiments. Repetition of small objects and lines, combined with the correct subject/background ration and lens will reveal surreal images.
And it's a look that the mighty iPhone has not conquered yet :-)


adapted Kodak Cine 63mm f2.7  1/50sec



refitted Helios-89 30mm f1.9 (from FED Mikron)  1/4000sec



refitted Russian projector lens 35KP-1,8/120  1/800sec


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Birds in the garden

My local botanical gardens are open to birds and human visitors to roam free. No cages, no nets, like nature is meant to be enjoyed.


adapted C-mount Cosmicar 50mm f1.4  1/2500sec



adapted Kodak Cine Ektanon 102mm f2.7   1/2000sec


adapted Kodak Cine Ektanon 102mm f2.7  1/5000sec


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Sunday afternoon feeling

A cold beer on the deck watching the sunset is what I associate with the "Sunday afternoon feeling"


Pentax-110 50mm f2.8  1/500sec

As a photographer nut, I repurposed a vintage lens case to serve as beer cooler :-)

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Bubbles in the forest

The sun was shining through a gap in the rainforest canopy lighting up the soft flowers.
An old Russian manual-focus lens helped create the bubbles.


Helios 44M-7  58mm f2  1/3200sec

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Bokeh of a vintage lens

A 50 year old vintage lens from Germany is my favorite one for close-up photography.
It renders the out-of-focus areas with a creamy bokeh and tends to create "bubbles" on the highlights.
Mounted with extension rings it is often used hand held on my mirrorless cameras.



Often images look closer to watercolors than photographs; the shallow depth of field has blurry backgrounds with edges that seem to "bleed" softly into the next color.



The Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm f2.9 is a manual focus lens, very small in size compared to modern lenses. Not exceptionally sharp, it might not please the perfectionist wanting to achieve details in every twig or grass blade but it is the lens that I regularly take on my outdoor trips to recreate the "feel" of  a place more than just accurately record it.



Somebody once said: I am not interested in image quality, I am interested in quality images.

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Dragonfly

Standing in the creek laying eggs on a log just under the water's surface.


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm f2.9  1/1000sec

Dreamy

In the late afternoon the color of the light changes, calling me to photograph.
A vintage lens with peculiar perspective ads a dreamy look to the tiny wildflowers.


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm  f2.9 1/1000sec


Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm  f4(?) 1/500sec

Bubbles in the creek

There is a creek that I like to visit on my backpacking trips.
This time I looked closely at the bubbles formed by the cascading waters.


Meyer Optik Görlitz 50mm     f2.9  1/6000sec
 
Glistening in the afternoon sun, small and insignificant while floating by but mesmerizing nevertheless.