Junk or Junque?

Before I take on writing a Black and White Photography 201, I’m going to share some more junk drawer photos. Well, this first one isn’t from a drawer, but a forgotten cabinet over the fridge.  In a clean-out binge I found a bunch of weird booze we stuck there for some reason.  Pepper flavored vodka.  Dark rum (which we did use to make Bananas Foster, so all was not lost).  Cheap -n- nasty whiskey.  A keepsake mini-bottle of lousy “champagne” from a wedding in 1996.  Crap really and why we even kept it is a mystery.  I attempted to take the stopper out of a bottle of Tia Maria liqueur, but got this instead –

 

Isn’t that great?  It was worth keeping around just for this shot which coalesced in my head for days before I shot it.  Sometimes I need to let things percolate before I shoot.  I put the bottle in the front window once the sun went behind the house.  With all the snow it’s still fairly bright and a little Lightroom magic brings out the best in it, I think.

These next few are from the junk drawer proper though –

 

Ok, so maybe they aren’t junk, but it’s amazing what you accumulate in drawers.  I have more ideas brewing and am just waiting for my cranky 90mm macro to cooperate to do some more.  The shots above were done with the 12-60mm zoom which lets me get close, but not really close enough for some things.

Like these firecrackers for example, look how close a macro lens gets –

Each one is 3 1/2 cm or 1 1/2 inches long and they’re all probably duds.  I’ve always been fascinated by the hidden details of everyday objects, but haven’t taken the time to explore it properly.  It makes for a good indoor project, especially with the great winter light we’re getting now.  Plus I’d like to improve my technique with my old manual ring flash so you’ll probably get to see more junque in future.