Extreme Closeup

Doll-face :: Watts // Ina’s 1969 // No flash :: Extreme closeup, shot with a macro lens, from a distance of one inch. I was sooo excited when I arrived home tonight from work and found a package from Hong Kong in my letterbox!

Inside it was a magical wide-angle and macro lens that can be fitted onto my iPhone. I had first read about this miraculous tool on the Hipstamatic page on Facebook. Someone had posted about these lenses available from Photojojo, but I dithered too long and by the time I went to buy a set, they were out of stock.

Matryoshka :: Watts // Ina’s 1969 // No flash :: Shot with the wide-angle lens. The curve of the iPhone 3Gs means the lens cannot sit flat on the back, which causes the black curve in the bottom right corner – a small price to pay.Undaunted I investigated eBay, and found a seller in Hong Kong touting the same product, and by extraordinary luck it was only $12. (A huge savings compared to the $70 I was going to pay for the two lens Photojojo set, including postage.) Hong Kong, I thought, isn’t so far from Australia. Perhaps they can send it to me in time before I head off overseas? I didn’t even dare to email them to check, but bought and paid in an instant, and crossed my fingers, trusting fate. All week I waited with bated breath, and hardly dared to hope when I arrived home today that it had landed in my letterbox – it’s the last day before my trip.

I was so excited that I ripped open the package, attached the lens by means of Blu-Tack as there did not seem to be any other way, and began experimenting.

Belatedly, I unfolded the badly translated instructions and discovered that I needed to stick a metallic ring to the back of the phone, which I did, and Bob’s your uncle: the lens cleverly attaches to the magnetic ring!

Oh, and it takes brilliant photos too.