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... do not blink, 2017 is about to end and 2018 is about to take over. Just like the miles on the odometer, the 8 is about to replace the 7.

Found a shiny 2017 penny and took a capture of it with my new macro lens. To get the pretty bokeh around the penny I balanced it on a 5 inch tall pen that was flat on both ends, making the penny looking like it was floating above the table. Used the new LED light ring at the end of the lens to light the penny.

The details there on the penny when viewed large is pretty cool, never knew there was so much texture there :) Recommend viewing large to enjoy those details.

Getting a shiny number 8 to photoshop onto this penny turned out to be tough, not too many 2008 shiny pennies laying around ... in fact, there were none.

I did have in my penny collection a 1981 Proof Penny, so I took a capture of that penny to get the shiny looking '8'.

Hope you like my created 2017/2018 penny ... Happy New Year.

Tags:   penny

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Some light snow fell here in the very early morning hours near Baltimore. Was time to head out with the new macro lens :)

Tags:   snow

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Well first off let me say that Santa brought me a late Christmas present ... indirectly. My eldest daughter who is into photography like me gave me a LED light ring for taking macro captures. She thought it would be cool to use. The issue was that I really did not have a macro lens, and also all my lenses have 77mm filter rings ... and the light kit only had adapters up to 67mm.

She was disappointed when I told her this, and was going to return it and see if she could get a LED light kit for larger lenses ... I told her NOT to, and that this was FINALLY my sign to go ahead and get the Macro lens. I had been toying with getting the 100mm 2.8 by Canon for well over a year now figuring it would be great for portraits and also taking true macros.

Mrs. Krach was fine with me taking the plunge with the new lens, and I ordered it Christmas night. Amazingly without even express shipping, the lens arrived today already (guess the delivery trucks are empty ;)

So yeah, after working all day at the office, quite the fun to come home and start testing it out.

This capture here was taken on the full frame camera hand held pretty much at the 1:1 magnification of one of the lights on our Christmas tree. Certainly cannot even see this detail when staring at the light (with my bifocals), but was really amazed when viewing the capture there of the small solar system there inside the end of the Christmas Light.

Will now be trying out the lens and taking the same capture with the Canon 7D Mark II, which should get us even closer in magnification. Maybe it will reveal some small moons around those planets :)

Who needs Hubble anyways ...

Also will be harassing the dogs taking some portraits in the low light ... they will be thrilled no doubt.

BTW ... by having the 100mm around for portraits, my daughter will be happy now as my 5 year old Sigma 70/200 2.8 that I was using as my portrait lens, she will be able to now 'borrow'. Hence I think this was her whole idea all along by getting me the LED filter ring light.

Tags:   Christmas

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Yummy details getting close in.

Tags:   sugar

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