Yesterday, I stepped into something different: engagement ring photography.

Same curiosity, different subject. Using the Canon 5DSR with the MP-E 65mm—and occasionally the Sigma 24–70mm Art—I explored how light behaves on polished metal and cut surfaces. With a few “photographer’s secrets,” I shaped reflections and highlights, discovering just how sensitive these materials are to even the smallest change in angle or light.

And that’s where it became interesting.

At high magnification, every tiny detail becomes visible. Not just the craftsmanship—but also the imperfections. Dust, fibers, microscopic particles… things you don’t even see with the naked eye suddenly dominate the frame. I tried everything: blower, soft brushes, and cloth. And still, it found its way back.

Editing it out in Lightroom? That would have been a project on its own.

So this time, I’d like your input.

Which image do you like best—and why?

Is it the light, the composition, the reflections? Or something less tangible?

For me, this was less about perfection and more about learning to see differently. A reminder that every subject—no matter how small or refined—has its own challenges, its own physics, and its own way of revealing itself.

And sometimes, the smallest details are the hardest to control.

#MacroPhotography #ProductPhotography #EngagementRing #JewelryPhotography #Canon5DSR #MPE65 #Sigma2470Art #LightingSetup #StudioPhotography #Reflections #LightAndShadow #CloseUpPhotography #TinyDetails #HighMagnification #CreativeLight #PhotographyExperiment #InTheStudio #BehindTheScenes #LearningPhotography #VisualStorytelling #PhotographyJourney #DetailShot #ShinyObjects #LensWork #FocusStacking #DustProblems #AskForFeedback #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens
Experimentation Level: Expert – Unlocking Creative Superpowers with My old B-Roll Sony A6400 & TTArtisan Lenses! 📸✨
Fellow photographers, let’s talk about real innovation in the field (pun intended). While everyone chases full-frame megapixel monsters, I’ve doubled down on my battle-tested Sony A6400 (APSC) – the ultimate mad-scientist platform for lens experimentation. Why? Because APSC lenses are wallet-friendly rockets that let you fail fast, iterate wildly, and still produce gallery-worthy magic. 💥
Enter TTArtisan – the Chinese metal maestros crafting 100% mechanical, zero-electronics lenses that feel like vintage relics from a steampunk future. No autofocus? No problem. These are tools for thinkers, not point-and-shoot crutches.
🔥 Current Lab Favorites:
• TTArtisan 7.5mm Fisheye: Bend reality like a black hole. Turn cityscapes into surreal planets. One twist = instant “whoa” factor.
• TTArtisan 35mm Tilt: Miniature worlds, selective focus planes, dreamy bokeh rivers. It’s like having a view camera in your pocket.
Every shoot becomes a hypothesis: “What if I tilt the plane 8° and shoot upward at golden hour?” The A6400’s EVF + peaking = surgical precision. Results? Images that don’t just document—they provoke.
💡 Pro Tip for Experimenters: Pair these with manual mode + histogram and treat ISO like a creative slider. Push shadows, crush highlights, then recover in post. The A6400’s sensor loves it.
Challenge to YOU: Grab a weird lens under $200, break one “rule” per shoot, and tag me in the chaos. Let’s flood feeds with intentional weirdness. 🤖🎨
#PhotographyExperiment #TTArtisan #SonyA6400 #TiltShift #FisheyeFun #CreativePhotography #ManualLensRevolution
Who’s joining the rebellion? Drop your wildest lens hack below! ⬇️
Experimenting with Double Filters

Yesterday morning I woke up at 5 a.m. It was dark, cold, and quiet — the kind of silence that makes you wonder if you should just crawl back into bed. But the sky was clear with some clouds forming near the horizon, and experience told me this could become one of those fiery sunrises worth losing sleep over.

So I packed my Canon 5DsR with the Sigma Art 24–70 mm and headed to the Loonse en Drunense Duinen. Besides chasing light, I had something else in mind — a little experiment. I wanted to see what would happen if I combined a polarizing filter with a transparent plastic petri dish (from Corning).

If you’ve ever looked at a car’s rear window through polarized sunglasses and seen those oily rainbow patterns — that’s birefringence at work. When two polarizing surfaces interact with certain plastics, they reveal hidden stress patterns in vivid colors.

So I rotated both filters until the sky exploded into gradients of purple, turquoise, and gold. No Photoshop tricks here — just light, plastic, and curiosity playing together.

Sometimes, science and art meet right in front of your lens.

#ExperimentalPhotography #CreativeFilters #PolarizerEffect #OpticalPhenomena #Birefringence #PetriDishExperiment #ScienceInArt #NatureAndLight #SkyPhotography #ColorPlay #OpticsInNature #PhotographyExperiment #LandscapePhotography #AtmosphericLight #SkyMagic #MorningGlow #NaturalLight #PhotographyArt #ExploringLight #CreativeProcess #FieldExperiment #AbstractNature #PhysicsOfLight #Canon5DsR #SigmaArt2470 #DutchLandscape #LoonseEnDrunenseDuinen #NaturePhotography #VisualExploration #CuriousMind #ArtOfSeeing #PhotographyIsScience #ChasingLight #SkyWatcher #ExperimentalArt #BehindTheLens #ColorInspiration #LightAndShadow #OpticalArt #ByMaikelPhotography

Tilt-Shift Perspective: Trees in Focus

I’m loving my new tilt-shift lens! Experimenting with its unique focus and perspective effects has been so much fun. Can’t wait to explore more creative possibilities! 📸✨

#photography
#TTArtisan50mmTilt

#TiltShiftPhotography #ArtisticLens #SelectiveFocus #MiniatureEffect #CreativePhotography #PhotographyExperiment #StreetTrees #BlurEffect #FineArtPhotography #DepthOfField #TiltShiftLens #PhotoPerspective #QuietMoments #UrbanMood #LensPlay