# milk jug photos



## txtwyst

I read this on ebay a while back but never tried it until now.  Maybe this is posted somewhere here, but I haven't searched around to look for it.  It is for taking close ups of small items.

Wash and dry an empty milk jug.  Cut out the bottom.  The milk jug I used had a line around it just where the curved bottom ended.

I took a white plastic plate and turned it upside down and then put a paper towel over it (just to cover the stamped name on the bottom of the plate).  My "photo booth" was set up on my bed beside the napping kitties.





fancy picture-takin' set up--only in texas []
(ignore the messy bed--can't get those kitties to make the bed any more!)

My camera (Casio Exilim EX-Z55) lens just happens to fit perfectly into the opening of the milk jug.  I guess if you have a larger lens, you could cut off the top so your lens would just fit.




my camera

I put the pen on the paper towel, put the milk jug over the pen, turned the jug so you couldn't see the sides and snapped the pic.  Obviously, I also had my camera set to macro focus.

Looking through the viewfinder, what you see doesn't look great at all.  But when the flash goes off, it gives it light and the milk jug diffused the light from the flash so you don't get those bright flash marks.

The first pic I took was with the blinds closed and no lights on.  The room was fairly dark.  Then I opened one blind to see if it would make a difference.  It definitely made a difference in what I saw through the camera.  I think the biggest difference is in the color of the white background.  I'll post both pics and you decide.




first picture - no light




same pen, with blind open

Here are a few more "milk jug" pics:




my first KC twist, satin nickel, leopardwood




black enamel slim, red morrel burl




teacher's pen, black and red dyed maple burl and white holly




black titanium slim, buckeye burl (i just love this wood)




Shhhhhh.... sleeping kitties.....

Just thought I'd share.  I was rather surprised at the outcome. They will probably come out better if you were in a lighted room, but these aren't too bad.

Let me know if you try it and how it works for you!
p


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## wdcav1952

Looks like it works, but how did you get those cats in the milk jug????? []


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## txtwyst

they are VERY good kitties.... and i keep a 10 gallon milk jug on hand for picure emergencies.. []


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## jeff

What kind of cats are those?


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## txtwyst

These three guys are ocicats.  To quote the Cat Fanciers' Association:  "Originating from interbreeding of Abyssinian, Siamese and American Shorthair, it is the only spotted domestic breed selectively bred to emulate the cats of the wild."

These cats are FABULOUS. They are very dog-like in personality. They are always under foot and love to be around people (with the exception of our lavender spotted--the light colored one--who is our resident scaredy cat). The others come when you call them, jump on the bed (or couch or kitchen island) when called.  They are just wonderful animals.

However, my "shop" kitty was an orphan. My mom found her when she was about 6 weeks old. She hangs out in the shop with me when I'm drilling and gluing up. I don't let her stay when I'm running the lathe or dust collector because it's too loud. But she does a great job keeping the table saw dusted off!

Kricket, the Shop Kitty


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## Randy_

That is a very clever idea.  I like it!!  

I think your exposure meter is reading the background rather than the pen and giving a slight underexposure of the pen.  Try using something other than a white paper towel for background.....something with a darker color.....and I think you will see a better rendition of the actual color of your pens.


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## Mudder

> _Originally posted by txtwyst_
> <br />These three guys are ocicats.



Never seen a cat like that. They look really nice. Kind of remind me of a Leopard or an Ocelot.


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## TomServo

Reminds me of a serval cat, or those serval-housecat breeds.. gorgeous kitties!


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## txtwyst

darker background... i shall try that and post more to let you know how they turned out!

thanks!


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## Rifleman1776

A background closer to the shade of the subject (pen) would give better exposure. BTW, IMHO, those are not good cats. My favorite book below.



<br />


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## gerryr

Does your camera have a macro setting?  The photos all look just a bit our of focus.  If they were taken with the macro setting, the distance to the subject may need to be adjusted.  The only problem I see inherent in this setup is that milk jugs aren't terribly stable and you're relying on that to keep the camera steady, so there could be some vibration induced into the setup when you release the shutter.  That's the one thing I hate about all the new electronics on cameras, no way to use a good old-fashinged cable release.


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## Randy_

> _Originally posted by Rifleman_
> <br />
> 
> <br />



There probably aren't too many cat lovers on this board; but I suspect the ones that are find your comment in extremely poor taste!!


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## Charles

Thanks for the idea.


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## Rifleman1776

> _Originally posted by Charles_
> <br />Thanks for the idea.



The book? Enjoy reading it. [)]


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## txtwyst

thank you, randy.


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## jeff

I'm sure that many of you don't understand Frank's reference to dead cats, so let me explain. Frank is a member of The Pen Shop, a site operated by my good friend and a great asset to the penturning world, Johnny Wooten. The much revered mascot of that site, as you can see by their logo, is the caricature of a dead cat. The dead cat has become somewhat of an icon to the folks at The Pen Shop, and they've given it the name "Fred". 

The Pen Shop site came into existence partly because I objected to a post on this site which included a photograph of an actual dead cat by the side of a highway with a sign next to it saying "Free Cat". I found the post in poor taste, and took some rather aggressive and probably unwarranted action against the poster. I'm not in favor of any dead animal photos on this site, and as the owner of four rescued stray cats myself, I was particularly annoyed by the photo.

So, to make a long story short, The Pen Shop came into existence in part because a number of people felt that I had too heavy a hand in rejecting posts that I felt were objectionable, but that others felt were perfectly fine. This wasn't the only issue, but it's certainly the primary issue. TPS was started so that folks who felt I was too "politically correct" in the way I run this site could have a place to go where posts of this nature were not only tolerated, but encouraged.

TPS has a unique character and "feel" that some people prefer over this site. As they will warn you; "leave your thin skin at the door" if you visit, but if you find Frank's post humorous, I recommend that you pop over to their site. There are a lot of good folks over there, many of whom visit here also. I visit there occasionally myself, just to "keep an eye on the neighbors" [] 

Knowing the sensitive nature of the entire "dead cat situation", Frank took the opportunity of seeing a topic with photos of some cats to make the post above with that graphic. His intention? Simply to stir the pot and generate controversy for his own amusement. In fact, after posting the graphic in this topic, Frank made a post over at TPS, speculating that I'd remove it in short order. Instead of doing that, I thought I'd take this opportunity to explain why Frank made that post.

To all who are offended by Frank's reference to dead cats, I apologize. I didn't remove his post above because that's exactly what he wanted me to do, so the dead cat enthusiasts at TPS could have a good chuckle. I expect that Frank will follow this post with something even more offensive, perhaps the original dead cat photo, and that I will remove as soon as I see it.  So, perhaps in the end, Frank will win by getting me to pull one of his posts, but at least I'll feel that I did the right thing by removing intentionally offensive material.


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## Rifleman1776

Well said, Jeff. "stir the pot"? Probably. I love debate and give and take arguments. For 'my own amusement'? Not necessarily, intended for amusement of lots of folks. Meant to be funny. Offensive? Some might think so. I'll say my bit then stop. To me, anything having to do with cats is offensive. I detest them and think people who keep them in their homes are strange. They stink, cause stink, defecate from both ends, stratch furniture, shed, aggravate allergies, and more. Outside, they are one of the most effective predators in the world. Want to get rid of pretty songbirds around your neighborhood? Get an 'outside' cat, they kill birds by the millions. Cats are not native to our American environment, they do incredible amounts of damage to native animals. I really dislike cats. I really do like the book featured. p.s. I'm a member here also, and happy to be. This is an excellent forum. It's size has caused some moderation problems and probably will always continue to do so. I did not go to The Pen Shop forum because of the previous cat issue. I went there because some people I like are involved with TPS and, for now at least, it has a 'homey' feel that I enjoy. Double p.s. My wife has a cat. I hate it and the fact it is in our house. I never fail to gripe about it being here. <b>She</b> hasn't thrown me out. Yet.


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## airrat

Frank, I can understand your complaints about cats.  I have the same gripe about small dogs.  Our dog is more of a PITA  then the cat.  There are days they both drive me completely insane.


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## krose38

Point of information, I have a digital camera and it has a timer release setting which does away with the need for a cable release.


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## Rifleman1776

> _Originally posted by airrat_
> <br />Frank, I can understand your complaints about cats.  I have the same gripe about small dogs.  Our dog is more of a PITA  then the cat.  There are days they both drive me completely insane.



  I raised cattle for 25 years and, I swear, a herd of cows is less work than one house pet. Maybe not in physical exertion but in terms of demands on ones personal life.


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## wood-of-1kind

> _Originally posted by Rifleman_
> Double p.s. My wife has a cat. I hate it and the fact it is in our house. I never fail to gripe about it being here.



Hey Frank, are you griping about the cat or the wife being there? Curious minds needs to know.

-Peter-[)]


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## Rifleman1776

> _Originally posted by wood-of-1kind_
> <br />
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Originally posted by Rifleman_
> Double p.s. My wife has a cat. I hate it and the fact it is in our house. I never fail to gripe about it being here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Frank, are you griping about the cat or the wife being there? Curious minds needs to know.
> 
> -Peter-[)]
Click to expand...


Hmmmm....[] , have to think about that. []


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