Getting Close Up Pictures, I Give Up: How The Bleep Do I Do It?

[Ravenplume]

Okay, can someone explain how to get actual clear closeup goddamn pictures of my plants outside? No matter the camera I use (even the nice 14MP Sanyp or my actioncam which does 20MP still shots, they always come out blurry or washed out. I've tried the zoom feature, holding the camera close with no zoom, and even just at half arm's length... No matter what the bleep I try, the area I am trying to photograph is either not really visible, has glare from the sun all over it, or it is simply blurry.

How is it done with just a normal effing camera without having to get a 4 digit price tag professional camera? All I want is to be able to show clear close ups of pre flowers for help in determining if they are male or female.

 

[BeanTownFan420]

That is a good question for @Cola Monster or @Amy Gardner.

 

[Ravenplume]

And on that note, I just took a razor blade to the two of them and sliced off a sample for an indoor shot where I do my Etsy and eBay pictures.

I have a sinking feeling both Bessie and Wonder Dog are male after all.

Here's Bessie's sample.

And here is Wonder Dog's

 

[Ravenplume]

About to have a cocktail and toke on the front porch, then will get samples from Wendy, Marvin, and Tinkerbell as well. Houdini and Wildfire are nowhere near ready for a sample.

 

[Amy Gardner]

That is a good question for @Cola Monster or @Amy Gardner.

You rang? Hi Bean, Ravenplume.

I can say first that yes, those are male flowers.

second - outside can be tricksy but I used to use a point and shoot 8mp camera that I purchased in 2003 and just a put it into auto mode. I often do the Same with my more ‘fancy’ camera (still a ‘3figure’ camera).

That way the camera should manage the light for you and then it’s just a vaguely steady hand. Wind can make things very challenging and it can be better to aim for overcast days or early/late in the day so the sun doesn’t wash you out completely.

I work in ‘auto’ mode on both cameras - for expediency mostly. It’s quicker! But I usually select the portrait setting for buds and/or plant parts and the landscape setting for whole plants.

Hope that helps a little bit!

 

[Ravenplume]

Thanks. I'll experiment with camera settings later. As for these two, can cuttings still be made off them to mature inside or at the other end of the yard, or is it too late at this point? Since I don't know if the pollen I harvested off an early flowerer will be viable, I would like to have a source from other male sibling plants available as well, as this is key to having my first baseline strain, and I would rather have Bessie and Wonderdog themselves out of there to give the others more space to thrive. If I can grow a cutting off each one and get viable pollen from them, that would at least mean that I may have my baseline this year instead of waiting to try again next season.

Of course, if these pieces aren't viable cutting material themselves, there is still plenty more material to work with.

 

[Amy Gardner]

I don’t know a lot about making seeds but I don’t see why not! Except they are already in flower so I’m not sure cuttings will clone very easily, but again, not an area I have experienced w at all. If you can get pollen from these you could store it a little while. Lots of posts on this site about doing that.

 

[Ravenplume]

I think I will just store the pollen sacs in a bottle with a few pieces of rice and kept in the freezer for now, like I did with the last one. If the pollen isn't viable, then I plant Ravenplume 2019 Wildlings again next year and try again.

 

[Cola Monster]

Amy G. hit it right on the nose.

I too use my "Creative Auto" mode when shooting outdoors in the bright sunlight so the camera does most of the work for ya.

 

[BeanTownFan420]

Looks like i hit the nail on the head for you to get your answer.

 

[Ravenplume]

I'll get back to this tomorrow. Too high right now for anything other than some random YouTubing or some City of Heroes.

 

[DrDoob]

I can’t ever zoom much without a tripod cause my hands are too shaky to ever get a good image, you got a tripod?

 

[Ravenplume]

Just cut a few more samples off Wonder Dog and was about to gather the pollen sacs, when I noticed that they are still awfully tiny, like they are still immature and not yet fertile. And since both are coming out of there tomorrow, it looks like I may have to rely on the pollen from the previous early bloomer to be viable. That stuff has been in the freezer, in a white pill bottle with a few pieces of rice as a dessicant. Hopefully it didn't get harvested too early either...

 

[DrDoob]

Just cut a few more samples off Wonder Dog and was about to gather the pollen sacs, when I noticed that they are still awfully tiny, like they are still immature and not yet fertile. And since both are coming out of there tomorrow, it looks like I may have to rely on the pollen from the previous early bloomer to be viable. That stuff has been in the freezer, in a white pill bottle with a few pieces of rice as a dessicant. Hopefully it didn't get harvested too early either...

If you just toss the branches in a cup of water the pollen sacks will develop more over a couple days.

 

[Ravenplume]

Guess I better go back out and grab a few more then, on all three.

Yeah, turned out Wendy was Marvin after all, but it does look like the one that was Marvin can be the proper Wendy. Hard to tell at this point (just did a video out there and haven't processed it yet)

May end up being a light harvest this year, and may even have to hit up the dispensary before the year is out, though I still have a lot of Tardis Lite from last year's grow to process...

 

[Ravenplume]

If you just toss the branches in a cup of water the pollen sacks will develop more over a couple days.

Hopefully this should be enough, going ahead and doing a separate container for each plant's branches...

I figure no need to bring them in though. They should mature just fine outside on the opposite side of the guard, guarded by a cute little ass.

 

[Ravenplume]

I think I have my solution to the problem of close up pictures. Turns out the camera I have been using for years for my eCrater, Etsy, and eBay work was the answer. And it is just a 7.1MP Canon PowerShot A590 put on the Kids and Pets setting, which seems to almost totally negate shaky hand.

Here is a shot taken from the curb in front of my house of a family that lives nearby and was just wandering through across the street.

And in keeping the rest on topic. Here are some samples taken from the SE corner of the weed enclosure, showing Tinkerbell's crown close up with a digital zoom of the camera's max 16X, and then a couple of Wildfire's crown as well.

I think I may have to splurge a little and get me a couple more of this model of camera for when the time comes when this one does finally bite the dust.

 

[Ravenplume]

Correction, the camera is an A560, not an A590.