“Photo Grandpa” Shoots Macro with Laser Rigs

nickeverettnickeverett Registered Users Posts: 74 Big grins
edited February 17, 2010 in Holy Macro
Facinating macro photography method with stunning results.
photograndpa.jpg

Belgian photographer fotoopa (“photo grandpa” in Dutch) shoots ultra-high speed photographs with laser rigs he builds himself. He tells us:
"I’m retired, and work inside in the winter making high-speed pictures of water figures. In the springtime and summer I’m outside to capturing insects in-flight. I have a mechanics (15 years experience) and electronics (26 years) background, but photography was always my hobby."

"All of my equipment is do-it-yourself. Macro photography has always been one of my favorite types of photography."

Descriptions and diagrams of his rigs are posted for 2008 and 2009. Here’s a glimpse at one of his setups:

lasertriggersetup.jpg

To capture insets in flight, his rig detects the insects using two crossed laser beams. This causes a “superfast electro magnet” to trigger the shutter, which opens and closes in less than 5 milliseconds. Shooting at f/22 and ISO 100, he uses 2 or 3 external flashes at minimum power to obtain sufficient light at so short a shutter speed. He adds,
"For insects in-flight, a special second shutter system provides the short shutter-lag of ~7 msec necessary. There is also a high-tech IR laser system with an extra third macro-lens and internal AVR controller. In 40 microseconds, this system sees (via the reflected IR light into the detector lens) if an object comes in focus, and give the information to the central CPLD hardware controller that drive the whole system. In this manner even very fast moving insects are in perfect focus in the picture frame."

fotoopabee.jpg
"In the winter, the water figures are done indoors. First done in 2004, I covered a speaker with a membrane, and put a digital wave through it to move the fine colored droplets on the membrane. This provides wonderful images and an unlimited number of possibilities."

fotoopawater.jpg
"For 2010 I built a 3D stereo setup to capture all the high-speed macro pictures in 3D. The setup uses 2 DSLR Nikon cameras, the D200 and D300"

To see more of these amazing photographs, you can check out fotoopa on Flickr or on pbase.

Comments

  • DigitalMomDigitalMom Registered Users Posts: 62 Big grins
    edited February 6, 2010
    That's one hell of a contraption but damn, the results are great!
  • EddyEddy Registered Users Posts: 320 Major grins
    edited February 6, 2010
    Its Awesoem Photgraphy to anew level..WOOOOOW..very nice
    E.J.W

    Great understanding is broad and unhurried, Little understanding is cramped and busy" ..... Chuang Tsu
  • CyberSteakCyberSteak Registered Users Posts: 280 Major grins
    edited February 6, 2010
    fotoopawater.jpg

    That's awesome!
    http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=329340&mp=V1

    Canon 40D, 28-135mm, 50mm f/1.8, 10-22mm, 70-300, 580 EXII, ST-E2, 500D Diopter
  • canon400dcanon400d Banned Posts: 2,826 Major grins
    edited February 11, 2010
    CyberSteak wrote:
    fotoopawater.jpg

    That's awesome!

    Those shots are really incredible never seen anything like it before. Well done.
    Regards
    Bob
  • Stella7dStella7d Registered Users Posts: 201 Major grins
    edited February 16, 2010
    Facinating macro photography method with stunning results.

    Wow!!! That is so awesome!! :D
  • jsquerijsqueri Registered Users Posts: 244 Major grins
    edited February 17, 2010
    All of my equipment is do-it-yourself

    He built that thing himself?!?!?!? bowdown.gif

    his rig detects the insects using two crossed laser beams

    I want a camera with lasers too! :D
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