Boro and Photography!

I recently ordered some boro shorts so I could try out boro. The shorts kind of suck because you end up not knowing what color you used but it is still fun to play with it. I just attach it to some 10 mm boro clear that I bought so I don't burn my hand when using it. It is easier doing it that way rather then putting it in to the hemostats. They have really cheap asian boro 10mm at ABR Imagery and they ship very fast which is a plus. The short I used to make the following bead was basically black and white striped. From looking at what I have left of the rod, I think it is called Momka's challenge - antique beauty. I love boro but because it requires a lot of heat I had to purchase some Fosterfire extra strong bead release. The fireworks bead release just wasn't cutting it, it would crack, flake and get into the glass while I was making the bead. :(

So now that I am making beads I had to change my lightbox setup. I was using a lightbox indoors using 3 clamp on lights but it just wasn't cutting it so I got a white carboard envelope, a rubbermaid tub, and a camera on a tripod. I take the pictures outside on my deck in the shade and it looks a heck of a lot better than inside. It's just going to be rough in the winter. :( It's amazing that something that wasn't the least bit expensive can produce such nice results. :) There is an expensive part though, my camera is a Canon 10D with a macro lens. I like it because I can adjust my settings manually, I don't like autofocus and auto anything else. I took a black & white photography glass in 2004 and ever since then I need everything to be manually adjustable or I don't feel I get the best photo possible. I have a sony 707 which is a point and shoot camera but I don't use it for macro because it is a point and shoot which does everything for you. I feel the photos are a bit grainy for my taste. So back to the Canon 10D, they are going for about $200 on ebay which only includes the body, the lense will be separate. I don't have the greatest lenses, they are Sigma lenses. I would prefer a Canon macro lense but they are very pricey so that will have to wait. When I originally bought my 10D it was around $1200 including the lenses but that was about 4 years ago. They have better digital SLRs nowadays with higher megapixels so if you have the money then go for the new cameras, if not then the 10D is a really good camera and easy to use once you learn the basics of SLR cameras.

Please disregard the wonkiness and bubbles of the bead, I made it before I received my boro glasses which I shouldn't have but I was just very eager to try it. I was trying to hurry so I wouldn't hurt my eyes. I was wearing shade 3 welding glasses plus my didymium glasses. I now have my boro glasses that I bought from Aura Lens. They had some auctions where they were selling the glasses cheaper than on their website and I couldn't pass it up. I bought these glasses: Boro AGW-325 goggles. I am surprised more people didn't bid because it was a real good deal, if I bought them on the website they would have been about $300.