TECH TIP: Getting lights real close

So you can shoot something inches from the camera lens ... but how do you get light onto it? The camera blocks most of the light. One answer worth exploring is lamps that fit right over your camcorder lens. That center hole is wide enough for patio umbrella poles so should slip over most lenses.  A little Elmer's Tack or similar material will hold it in place.

This one uses regular AA batteries and has 48 LEDs which emit a bluish-white light. (That means you will have to experiment with your white balance controls and maybe do some color tweaking when editing.) A huge bonus is that LEDs give off very little heat so they will not damage the subject matter. One club working on a project with a local museum used similar lights to shoot tiny objects that could not be exposed to full daylight for more than a few seconds at a time.

You can pay a small fortune for fancy versions of these lamps ... for trials we recommend going on eBay and searching for "48 LED". In the section for camping lights you will find some for less than $10 including shipping to your door.