Visit to the Eye Doctor, Samples Added

On my annual visit yesterday, my usual fears were realized as the Dr wanted to dilate my pupils. Now, I don't need the lecture as to how important this is, especially at my age, so I always let him do it, I just don't like it. I had my sunglasses but the weather forecasters were wrong (again) and it was a sunny afternoon (clouds were forecast). As I was leaving, one of the gals at the desk offered me the cheapo plastic sunglasses they give away. I put them on over my sunglasses and it was a good thing.
Now, to the point of all this. These cheap, plastic sunglasses have a near perfect sepia tone to them. In my dilated state, my eye focus was all out of whack and I could only think as I was driving along what an old timey look everything had. The sepia tone, the weird focus, soft-look that was common in the early days of photography. How interesting it was to view the world the way an old camera would have seen it.
When I got home, I got to thinking about those cheap sunglasses with their sepia tone. Hmmm, they seem to be about the right size to fit over the SB 800. Within 5 minutes, I had cut 2 filters for the SB800. I did a quick trial this morning and I like what I see, so much so that I think further testing is in order. Obviously not the same as using a sepia filter on the lens, but now I have a pair of sepia filters for my flash and a clean bill of eye health for another year!

 

No, it just barely fits over the flash head.

 

Here are some samples

The first is regular flash, 2 sb800's, the D2x is set for 5600°K. All shots are large, fine jpegs, reduced for web. Minor levels adj and a little USM.



The next is with the sepia sunglasses over both flash units:

View attachment 87428

The last is the second shot, PP'd to desaturate:

View attachment 87429

For some reason, they look a little dark since I posted them on PBase, not sure why.

Anyway, it looks like these "filters" may have a use, I've got some interesting ideas, just need to go West and find an old ghost town.......

 

I actually lucked out a while back, I was going to buy Nikon's set of gel filters for the SB800. I was at a local camera shop and scored a sample set of Lee filter gels. They are small, about 1"x3", and a whole bunch, their entire gel line. They will have to be taped to the flash head, but fit perfectly. I paid $6. I went back recently to get some more and was told the rest they had were thrown away during a recent move as they had been just sitting around for years. I've looked around, but can't find them anywhere, maybe they were salesman's samples........at least I have the one set, and now my sepia pair.