Back from hiatus!!

[McConkey]

Hello all!
It has been a VERY long time since i posted, I've been away from the hobby for well over a year with my last posts being back in September 2016. Work has kept me away from home but for now i am back and of course, just in time for winter to freeze all the streams and ponds in my area! -24c the other night!

Still determined i managed to grab some samples, re-setup all my equipment (relearn everything) and snap a few pictures. I am still playing around with getting everything 100% up and running but i wanted to share my first venture back!!

Taken on my AO20, Oblique Illumination, Planapo 40x .80, 7 Image stack.

Thanks for viewing and it is really nice to be back!

[Crater Eddie]

Welcome back! It is evident that you haven't forgotten how to take marvelous images!
CE

[MichaelBrock]

That's beautiful! Something to aspire to with my own AO 20. How do you accomplish oblique lighting with the AO 20?

[McConkey]

Appreciate the kind words Eddie! It's really nice to dive back into it!

Michael - Thanks! For oblique i use homemade filters that fit directly into the condenser. Details of my setup can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3606&p=33256&hilit ... ask#p33256

The origin and inspiration for the filters stems from this topic here:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=2686&hilit=van+egmondl

I have some .TIFF files of the filters i have made based on Rods original designs which i am more than happy to provide for anyone who wants them! They're too big to post here but i can email them you if you want to play around with them!

[MichaelBrock]

Thanks for the links! I have mined the forms for any reference I could find for AO 20s but apparently I didn't do a very thorough job.

I don't have the 1240 condenser (waiting to find one reasonably priced) but I do have the single annulus condenser. I would definitely appreciate getting that tiffs from you. mike at mikeworks.com.

Thanks!

Michael

Appreciate the kind words Eddie! It's really nice to dive back into it!

Michael - Thanks! For oblique i use homemade filters that fit directly into the condenser. Details of my setup can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3606&p=33256&hilit ... ask#p33256

The origin and inspiration for the filters stems from this topic here:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=2686&hilit=van+egmondl

I have some .TIFF files of the filters i have made based on Rods original designs which i am more than happy to provide for anyone who wants them! They're too big to post here but i can email them you if you want to play around with them!

[McConkey]

Email sent! Looking forward to seeing what you get out them!

[vasselle]

Bonjour
Très belle image
Cordialement seb

[apochronaut]

welcome back to the frozen north, Karl. your rotifer has the chilblains, I think....... extremely nicely photographed , chilblains at that.

[Francisco]

Nice

[IanW]

Great lighting - well photographed!

[billben74]

Nice to have you back.
Nice image.

[McConkey]

Seb, Francisco, Ian and Ben - Thank you! I really appreciate the kind words! Its great to be back and hear i'm on the right path!

Phil - aha chillblains is an understatement! I spent a good 20min with my hands in a semi-frozen stream collecting samples! I don't know how these guys survive these types of temperatures! I collected another sample yesterday in -18 and had a baby duck swim past like it was no problem! Frozen North indeed!!