Micael Widell Newsletter #12
Captain's log
So March 2020 was the weirdest month in a long time, for obvious reasons. Although my day-to-day lifestyle did not change as much as many other people's, when the whole world is in a historic state of emergency, you get a very special and always present low-intensity stress in your body and mind that just sits there.
In normal times I spend a lot of time at home, or close to my home, so my day-to-day activities haven't changed a lot. But we kept our two year old son home from kindergarten most of March (he had a couple of colds, and we kept him home a few days extra each time, just to be on the safer side), which made our lives pretty stressful, as the amount of spare time (ie. time when not working or taking care of the child) almost went to zero.
So in conclusion, me and my family are healthy and well and have nothing to complain about really, but I didn't have much time to do photography. I did however, manage to publish five YouTube videos, which you find links to at the bottom of this e-mail.
I really hope you and your loved ones are safe, and trying the best you can to keep distance to other people, in order to slow down the spread of the virus and save lives. The world will get through this sooner than you expect, but it will be tough for many of us. Just do your part when it comes to the things you can help with (wash hands, stay at home) and try not to worry about the aspects you cannot control.
/Micael
Favorite Instagram finds during March
A couple of very skilled macro photographers you should definitely check out on Instagram:
My best photo of March
I did a video where I photographed Corona beer, and some of the shots I really liked. I've had the idea to photograph beer for a long time, because it has such small, beautiful, delicate bubbles. I figured these bubbles probably look very cool at 2-3 times magnification. And when picking a brand in the store, it just felt fitting to pick the one on everyone's lips right now. Watch the video to see how I did it.
How to cope with the Corona situation
I have wanted a portable gaming console for a long time, but didn't think there was one on the market that I would love. The Nintendo Switch has been closest to what I have wanted, but I have thought the price to be a bit too high, as well as the form factor a tad too big. One day I saw fellow photography YouTuber Matt Day post on his Instagram story, a photo of a Nintendo Switch Lite, a device I didn't know existed until then. I googled it, saw that the price was an affordable $200 (at least here in Sweden, for some reason its seems more expensive in the US), and immediately ordered one.
The Switch Lite is the perfect device to "visit another world" for a while, even if only for 10 minutes here and there. I really love the feeling of quality of the Nintendo Switch Lite, not to mention the awesome, beautiful games. There are lots of cheap indie games for less than $20, my favourite purchases so far are Thimbleweed Park (by the creators of Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island) and Hollow Knight (platform game). On the more expensive side, I have played the wonderful game Animal Crossing - New Horizons, that was released only very recently. This game is such a wonderful way to slip into another world where you really are in control of everything.
My Published Videos since the last newsletter
- Editing YOUR Macro Photos!!
- Corona Macro Photography
- Raindrop Macro Photography in Coronavirus Times
- Reviewing My Own Beginner Macro Photos (and having a laugh)
- 6 Reasons I Love the Canon 135mm f/2 Lens
Goodbye for now
Thank you for reading this far, and see you in a month! Feel free to follow me on YouTube, Instagram and 500px in the meantime. And also feel free to tell your friends about this newsletter, and to reply to it if you have feedback or comments :)
/Micael