It was now time for the acid test - to determine if the camera and the lenses were as squeaky clean as I believe they ought to be!
First I went through the boring prescribed routine - cranked up the lens’ aperture to f/22 and shot a few frames with the lens aimed at a perfectly white sheet of paper. The result was as expected - not a blotch nary a spot! But shooting a white paper is sooooooooo boring - so I chose a different subject - a metal work with some intricate design carved on it. The following was the result:
It took me three days to photograph this quality of image - primarily because I needed to shoot outdoors so that I can get the desired effect on the background, while ensuring that I am able to capture the details with the greatest of sharpness. What it entailed is that I use the narrowest f stop (f/22) on the lens and ensure that the distance between the object and the front of my camera lens - and the distance between the object and the background is such that I get a smooth, buttery background that you see in the image.
My problem is compounded further by the fact that the subject is a dangling one - that which is dangling in the air. This means I have to factor in the wind factor - the slightest of wind can ruin the image. The slightest of shake of the subject can render the image blurrrrrrrrrrrry.
You can imagine the mathematics that go into producing an image that looks like it is going to pop out of the frame any second!
In the topsy-turvy world of photography - f stop 22 is considered narrowest, while f stop 1.2 is considered widest!
You have to agree that the image is simply stunning - the lens has captured every microscopic detailing on the shinning amulet. I love the splendid craftsmanship - supposedly fashioned in Tibet. I am sure it was cast from a mold - I do not believe that it is a handiwork of a silversmith - producing such near perfect and unceasingly even job of carving is beyond the skills of any modern-day carver.
By the way, the poker-faced shop owner who sold me the Talisman assured me that it had magical properties that would protect me from evil spirits that roam places such as the Duthroe (crematorium) and hospital maternity wards. What a lot of baloney!!! But hey - if Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad thought up something no less bizarre and convinced the whole of humanity with something called RELIGION, why can’t the poor blighter try his cock-and-bull story on me?
Remember - the most successful consultants make their living selling you dreams that they themselves are unable to live. Fund managers become rich by selling you ideas as to how to manage your funds - if they were any smarter, they should be busy managing their own.
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