Depth of Pearl
These four 5:1 macro shots are of a piece of shell that is cut into a leaf shape, but of no obvious function. It is one of the few remaining shots from the Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens that I rented a few weeks ago. To find out more about the lens look at the first of these posts.
What I find interesting about these images is that are each focused just a bit deeper into the shell’s slightly transparent surface, showing different details. I am sure that these different textures at different depths below the surface account for the shimmery nature of mother of pearl when moving in the light. In the image above it is cool how it looks like a water eroded landscape seen from the air. In all the pictures the diagonal stripe rising out of the lower right corner is a groove cut into the surface of the ‘leaf’.
To launch the larger format gallery view click on any of the images below and then use the arrows to navigate, and escape to return to this page.
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Canon 5Dii, Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x Macro Lens, ISO100, f-8, 1/3rd (No 1), 2.5 seconds (No 2), 1/5th (No.s 3 and 4)
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It does look like an eroded landscape. It interesting how from image 1 to 4 the smoothness of the leaf is erodes away.
Thanks Ryan – I find that effect fascinating. I am not completely sure how it works either, but like it.