11-29-2007, 07:01 AM
Micaelb,
It's a specialized phenomenon that is often attributed to using a camera that has this combination of things: 1) a flash that is very close to the lens 2) A very small digital sensor 3) An extreme wide angle lens to accomodate that small sensor (it's a basic photo law that I won't get into here, the sensor is small so you need a wider lens to approximate a "normalish" view).
When you have all of those things going on and there is dust floating in the air, VERY close to the lens, when you fire the camera, it gets illuminated by the flash...since the dust is so close to the lens, it is out of focus, and creates a haloed appearance when the flash illuminates it.
You know how beams of light coming in through a window will clearly illuminate dust in the air? It's almost like the dust is lit up, glowing. It's just like that. You've seen pictures where out of focus lights form soft circles? Same thing only it's all happening directly in front of your lens.
The pic you referenced is cool though cause the orbs recede into a sort of perspective. Maybe those are the ghosts of all the dead hamsters from your childhood, in order of which one you liked best.
It's a specialized phenomenon that is often attributed to using a camera that has this combination of things: 1) a flash that is very close to the lens 2) A very small digital sensor 3) An extreme wide angle lens to accomodate that small sensor (it's a basic photo law that I won't get into here, the sensor is small so you need a wider lens to approximate a "normalish" view).
When you have all of those things going on and there is dust floating in the air, VERY close to the lens, when you fire the camera, it gets illuminated by the flash...since the dust is so close to the lens, it is out of focus, and creates a haloed appearance when the flash illuminates it.
You know how beams of light coming in through a window will clearly illuminate dust in the air? It's almost like the dust is lit up, glowing. It's just like that. You've seen pictures where out of focus lights form soft circles? Same thing only it's all happening directly in front of your lens.
The pic you referenced is cool though cause the orbs recede into a sort of perspective. Maybe those are the ghosts of all the dead hamsters from your childhood, in order of which one you liked best.