A crystal ball is for greater than having your fortune informed - study on for a few a laugh and smooth images ideas using a crystal ball!
Where to Buy a Crystal Ball
Crystal balls (or meditation globes, as they are more commonly listed) are inexpensive and available from online retailers like Amazon. The one that I own, and that was used for all the photographs in this article, is the 80mm size and comes with its own tiny holder and case. (As currently listed, it retails for $16.) At just over 3 inches in diameter, this one is a great size for holding in your hand.
Some people prefer larger sizes, which are a bit easier to photograph: the larger size better fills your image and reflects more of the scene. The 110mm size is the next size up. The downside to the larger crystal ball is its weight and portability. These are solid quartz crystal, which gives them surprising heft for their size. The110mm size is much more suitable for shooting it in a stand, rather than hand-holding.
The very last alternative is to go a piece smaller, with the 50mm (or 2 inch) size. The smaller length makes it a great deal extra transportable and less difficult to carry. It is harder to seize a body-filling photograph with the smaller crystal ball, until you are setting it in a stand and capturing with a zoom lens from further returned. I even have visible a few definitely specific photographs fascinated by several small crystal balls collectively.
Techniques for Photographing a Crystal Ball
The easiest manner to picture a crystal ball is to discover an area in which you may set the ball, leaving both your palms loose for photographing. This additionally gives you the gain of transferring in addition away and deciding on your composition. (I'll talk more about the way to correctly shoot whilst hand-conserving in a minute.)
Try to locate a place that is multiplied, relative to your challenge. A crystal ball flips and distorts the scene that is in the back of it. If you area the ball down at the floor, tons of your reflection will virtually be the floor. By getting the crystal ball up better, and via taking pictures from below it, you emphasize the sky and above-floor features of your situation.
As for settings, you normally need to crisply seize the situation as show in the crystal ball. I actually have found that a good mid-range aperture, within the f/8 to f/10 range, works well. In maximum occasions, if there is a little distance among the ball and your situation, this will also render the historical past out-of-focus. If you need the history extra in recognition and distinguishable, pick out a narrower aperture. (The trees, above, had been shot at f/eleven.)
Crystal Ball Composition Suggestions
The advantage of hand-preserving the crystal ball at the same time as shooting is which you have instant flexibility to choose your situation and choose your courting to that subject. Moving the ball closer will emphasize the distortion and bending, even as moving the ball similarly away will render the difficulty in a extra sensible manner.
The maximum hard component of capturing at the same time as protecting the ball (apart from stabilizing your digicam at the same time as taking pictures with one hand) is maintaining in mind the minimum focusing distance. Every lens has a minimal distance at which it may discover cognizance. If your digital camera is too near your crystal ball, then it will likely be not able to focus everywhere in/at the ball. (I once in a while discover myself having to lean away barely whilst extending my hand out to its most so that you can get the digicam to focus.)
Look at your pix right-side up and the wrong way up before picking a favourite. Sometimes you may find it greater alluring to have the image within the ball "right-facet up," however different times you may opt to have the crystal ball image inverted, with the historical past proper-aspect up.
Try experimenting with subjects which have lots of traces. The crystal ball reasons exciting distortion outcomes that emerge as greater exaggerated the closer you have got the ball for your issue.
Cautions while Photographing a Crystal Ball
The main caution when photographing a crystal ball is to beware of direct daylight. Like any form of glass or lens, a crystal ball bends sunlight, and you may discover yourself by chance concentrating that sunlight - perhaps into your digital camera lens (no longer excellent) or onto yourself (ouch!).
I almost dropped my crystal ball even as hand-conserving it for a shot, due to the fact the solar become positioned right in which its light via the ball became focused on my finger!
The other element to hold in thoughts is truely to be prepared for the load of the ball. Even with my 80mm crystal ball, if I am sporting it around in my purse or camera bag for too long, the load can real begin to take a toll on my shoulder. Plan ahead, and also you should have no troubles.
Do you've got a favorite crystal ball shot? Share a link in the comments under!
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