Submitter's name:	John A. Lind
Title:	Crystal Cactus
Gear used:	OM-4; Zuiko 135mm f/2.8 MC; B+W Stern 4X; 14mm Auto Tube; T-32; tripod; cable release
Diaphragm:	f/4
Shutter speed:	1/60 second (X-Sync)
Film used:	Kodachrome 64
Technical information:	This is a "journeyman" macro-photograph without highly imaginative "vision" or creativity. The concept was making a photograph of my wife's glass cactus. The technical problem is colors from other objects in the room are reflected by the glass. While that might be desirable, the object for this photograph was obtaining the clarity of the glass without obvious colors being reflected by nearby objects. Set up a tabletop studio in the dining room. Covered the table using a dark blue-green cloth with a pedastal under it to support the cactus. Set up a distant background with a very dark blue cloth draped over the black back of an old projector screen. The material was selected for its lack of reflectivity (no sheen) and near absence of weave pattern. Wanted as dark a background as possible. Experimented with various T-32 locations on another tripod using a remote cord including Rembrandt and side-lighting. None seemed to work at retaining high contrast against the background and eliminating other object reflections in the glass nearly as well as direct frontal lighting. Used the star filter to enhance pinpoint specular highlights of flash reflected by the glass.
Subject information:	A saguaro cactus, approximately 6 inches (15 cm) tall, made from small rectangles and squares of glass stacked and cemented together. The cactus normally resides on a window frame to pick up and reflect light coming through the window. The saguaro is a majestic cactus, native to the southwestern U.S., that requires hundreds of years to fully mature. My wife, a native of Pennsylvania, is enchanted by the magnificent size and varied shapes of this cactus. If silhouetted by a twilight or moonlit sky, some can give the appearance of giants standing in the desert.
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Comment left by: Olaf Greve (no e-mail specified)

Great shot, lovely reflections, lovely stars, and nice control of the background and elimination of undesired reflections! A very well thought out shot with lovely results. Also, I've seen such cacti in the Mojave desert, and they are indeed quite impressive, but I like this crystal model of it too.

Comment left by: Donald MacDonald (Donald.MacDonald@care4free.net)

I should be such a journeyman..! Lovely execution and, whatever you say, I like the concept. So there!

Comment left by: Damon Wood (no e-mail specified)

Now thats both interesting and extremely abstract - whilst at the same time being 'catchy' to the eye. Tis cool!

Comment left by: Giles (no e-mail specified)

Very well done. Like something out of a Ridley Scott movie.

Comment left by: Wiliam Wagenaar (wiliam@zeelandnet.nl)

Impressive photo of glass. I tried to photograph glass also, but it came out terrible because of all the reflections. I like what you have done to it using the star filter.

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