"Two very old documents 1742, 1768" -- close up photography with the Fuji X100T

The title of this post is taken from the eBay auction listing where I found two antique letters from the 1700's. The price was right so I picked bid on them to use as props for shooting still life. I have always found eBay a good source for finding old props with some character to them. Things like worn letters have a nice patina to them that lends itself to use as a background with character.

I am still home-bound and having to photograph simple subjects using modest props and setups as part of my "Rear Window" project.

I began this series by mounting the Zeiss Touit 50mm macro lens on my X-T1, but in a few minutes found myself picking up my X100T to see how things would look through the close-up 23mm lens. One look and I was off and running. I love shooting close-ups with the X100T. Using the lens wide open at f/2, as I do most of the time, imparts a softness to the subject that I like. When I want the image sharper, I just go one stop down.

I wanted to capture the beautiful texture and color of the antique paper so I resorted to one of my Custom Settings where I have the camera set for Classic Chrome and -2 Color to mute the colors. I always shoot my Fuji X cameras to capture both RAW and jpg at the same time and usually use the jpg image as a reference while processing the final image in RAW. For this series, the camera settings hit the mark for the look I was trying to achieve, and in this rare instance I went straight to the jpgs.

Sometimes known as a fleaglass, this early, collapsible pocket magnifier was carried into the field for close up observations of insects and plants. 

This antique Stanhope magnifier is made from one piece of glass curved on both ends -- one end having more of a curve than the other. The slightly curved side can be placed very close or even in contact with the subject to be magnified.