This summer, I took an excellent class for teachers called “The Science of Art, the Art of Science”. It was run through both the deCodova Museum and Mass. Audubon’s Drumlin Farm, which was a great collaboration between the perspectives of art and of science. Besides thinking a lot about integrating the two this year, I also got a fun toy out of it! To help us look closely at things, they gave each of us an 8x loupe. One of the first things I tried with it was putting it up to the lens of my phone. It worked surprisingly well.
You can buy a loupe like this on Amazon. I really like the one I have because the rubberized grip and housing lets you hold it on your phone easily and at a set distance. The focus works best when you’re about an inch away from the thing you are trying to take a picture of. Who needs a macro lens when you’ve got a magnifier for your phone camera!
Beach Closeup from Stephen MacLellan on Vimeo.