Happy 4th of July Everybody

 While I was at the drugstore, I saw some clear ligtbulbs and this translucent/transparent set of goggles that screamed 'take me home and shoot me', so I bought 'em and strarted brainstorming a shot.  This is the result.

 The goggles begged to be illuminated from below, so I busted out my transparency lightbox, got a straw, sprayed that w/black paint, and slipped it over my thermometer so its metal stem  wouldn't 'blare out'  and distract, and used it with the base/dial sitting on the lightbox to hold up the goggles. 

I'm getting a little better at focusing this thing, and maybe that was because I was shooting these goggles and not a round globe.  I didn't get a headache focusing this shot, but it was still work.  

I think this shot shows how crisp one image can be while being inside of a very soft version of that same image.  

When it came to my portrait/soft focus lenses, I was going to save experimenting w/my Ser. III for last figuring that the practice from stretching out the other ones would get me in shape for Ser. III, but I guess there's been a change in plans.

A word about the very old Polaroid 804-809 film I'm lucky to still have, much of it gets better at it ages, because of  the creation of  patina and texture from partial exhaustion of the chemicals in the receptor pod which spreads unevenly after it's gotten so old.  I didn't do anything to this image, the area above the googles was just how it came out, and I like it.   It's gonna be a sad day when I run out of this stuff.

Ilumination of the goggles was from the lighbox below it, I had fainter ilumination on the background.  Exposure was at F6, which seems to be a 'sweet spot' for this lens.  Going from F6 in the direction of F4.5 gradually dials in more glow/the soft part of the image, and dials out the sharp part.  

Whether by intent or by accident, and I'm sure it was by intent, you open up or close down to emphasize/de-emphaisize either the soft or sharp part of the image while they are superimposed over each other, which is a very diff proposition than a lens that produces one image that goes from sharp to soft.  Incredible from a lens created so long ago.

I've been humbled by this lens, and feel very lucky to be able to find a way forward with it.