Maj'K Non Contest Photo

[Ed McDonnell]

I just received a pen with a Maj'K blank from Ed(B). After some quick and dirty experimenting to find a way to capture the magic in a single picture, I am pretty confident that single picture just can't capture magic in the Maj'K blanks.

It seemed like a good application for an animated gif. Unfortunately I couldn't find a way to embed an animated gif in a forum message, so I've provided a link below for those interested. Here's the three frames that I shot to make the gif. No changes to positioning or camera settings. Just changed the direction of the (single) light. I left the shadows in the background because an animated gif with directionally changing light and no shadows looks a little funny.

Frame One (light from left side):



Frame Two (light from front top):



Frame Three (ligth from left side):



Here's a link to the animated gif:

http://home.comcast.net/~parklandturner/GIF_Test01-Small.gif

Lot's more testing to do, but this is what I got from playing this morning.

Ed

 

[ed4copies]

Thanks for experimenting, Ed!!!

The .gif is a cool idea!!
Interesting (to me) that I visualize the pen rolling, but the clip position does not move, which makes it clear it is stationary.

The pattern certainly changes a lot, though it does not move!!

Thanks!!!!!!!!

 

[edicehouse]

And people thought I was crazy when I was asking about taking photos of these....

 

[edstreet]

Now lemme hit you with a curve ball on this.

It also changes with the color temperature of the light (i.e. type of light source used)
also with the light intensity (i.e. soft diffused vs hard)

 

[edicehouse]

Now lemme hit you with a curve ball on this.

It also changes with the color temperature of the light (i.e. type of light source used)
also with the light intensity (i.e. soft diffused vs hard)

LOL.... I can wait until there is lunar eclipse and compare it to solar eclipse.

All joking aside, Ed are you saying these are diverse blanks?

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Hi Ed (S) - Diffused vs not definitely makes a big difference. The "harder" the light the more the effect is visible. I imagine that's why people have commented on the color change being more obvious in the direct sunlight. I ditched my photo tent for this and went with direct unfiltered light (daylight CFL in this case).

The particular blank that I have doesn't seem to be much affected by color temp within a normal range that someone might be using the pen in. I checked in shop fluorescents, photo CFL, direct sunlight, and incandescent. I didn't see much difference in the color shift. Obviously, monocrhomatic colored lighting would have a huge effect, but wouldn't be representative of what someone might see in real use.

I had originally planned to stand the pen vertically on a turntable and take a series of shots (perpendicular to the rotation) as it indexed. While they were nice shots, that type of movement doesn't show the color change on this blank. Rotating on an axis perpendicular to the long axis really shows off the color shift. I don't have anything rigged up a the moment to do this kind of motion (other than manually futzing with it). That's why I just did a quickie, moving the light source.


Ed

 

[ed4copies]

Thanks Ed!!

You have tried the same techniques I tried and have come to the same conclusion.

Actually, you DO have something that will turn the pen slowly, like it's rolling down a hill-=-your lathe!! Took me a while, but ultimately, I realized I could hook up some way to hold the pen and turn the lathe by hand (haven't tried it yet, just realized the tools were THERE!!)

Again, my thanks for screwing around with this----it's a cool blank and I would like to find a better way to help them sell!!!

 

[edstreet]

Interesting.

monolight direct, no tent

same blank in all images.




LED bulbs

iphone ambient low light with some LED.

light tent with my monolight

 

[bjbear76]

It also changes with the color temperature of the light (i.e. type of light source used)
also with the light intensity (i.e. soft diffused vs hard)

So........kind of like the mood ring back when we young and cool?

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Here's a picture that attempts to capture the full range of color in the blank. The cap orientation shows off the reds / blues and the body orientation shows off the yellows / oranges.



Ed

 

[JohnGreco]

I think the above shot is the single best image of these blanks yet.

 

[ed4copies]

That IS outstanding, Ed!!!

Vertical AND horizontal---great idea!!

 

[edicehouse]

Just think Ed4 maybe one day it will be so simple to do the photos even I will be able to do it. (Probably not)

 

[edicehouse]

I want to thank Eric (BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ) I was talking to him and he mentioned the gif, I had overlooked that. PT great gif shows off the color change immensly.