Magnification Week
/Hello everyone. It is the beginning of the final week in July, 2026, which happens also to be the second week in a 50 week series of livestream/videos designed to update my back catalog through, clarification, correction, simplification, expansion, and in some cases, extirpation. This is a very ambitious undertaking but one I think will be warmly received by most of our viewers. No longer will you have content with conflicting facts, changing opinions, or contradictory recommendations. I am correcting these issues as I find them by including each of them in our Macro Fundamentals livestream series - 50 livestreams covering 50 discrete macro photography subjects and topics.
For one full year, every week will see a new Macro Fundamentals Livestream that will either follow or precede the Macro Fundamentals stream, depending on the purpose and nature of the accompanying companion livestream. These companion pieces are not part of Macro Fundamentals and will not be included in the Macro Fundamentals series database. They will become part of a larger database covering all of my work. The companion pieces will be related to the topic (magnification, this week) but will be standalone events that have been written to educate, inform and entertain but not as a formal part of the MF (Macro Fundamentals) series. Sometimes the companion piece of that week will make more sense to come before the chapter discussion, and sometimes after. So the companion stream may be a Tuesday or Thursday feature.It will make more sense as the series proceeds.
This week the theme is Magnification. The first stream, Macro Talk , on Tuesday this week will be part of the official Macro Fundamentals series. This stream will address many of the established points of confusion while also addressing every interesting or useful reference in the back catalog. After Tuesday, or when you have seen the recording of MF03, you will know everything you need to know on the subject. Here is your invitation: https://youtube.com/live/COvs8Ew2LaQ?feature=share
On Thursday you may learn a bit of stuff that had previously escaped your attention, but that is not the real intent of the companion stream. It is designed to provide you with more of the rich backstory, the historical significance, the financial impact, or the cultural importance of the topic under consideration. If the Macro Fundamentals presentation could be described as a lecture, the companion livestream would be more like a seminar. This week the discussion will focus on debunking the many myths that have grown up around the tricky concepts related to magnification. Here is your invitation to the stream - https://youtube.com/live/qgEreQ6lQ7Q?feature=share.
Saturday is July’s meeting of Tangent, under the guidance of Larry Strunk and myself. In this meeting we will be listening to your feedback on the question of Fusion 360 vs. Solidworks. Should we officially switch platforms, or should be stay with Fusion? I have had a slow and frustrating start with Solidworks, but that is a function of my long days and lack of “practice time”. I do remain quite open to a change of platform, especially if the annual fee remains in the $24 per year range - but that may change when I hear about your experience with the new software. All you need to join this live event is the invitation -which just happens to be right here …
Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Tangent
Time: Jul 25, 2026 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=87904251273
Meeting chat link
https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/jc/87904251273
Meeting ID: 691 680 2815
Passcode: 678122
Join by SIP
• 6916802815@zoomcrc.com
Join instructions
https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/87904251273/invitations?signature=-J8gYR_B5Qg8JcvAF01JT_HRO-Jmh4t6MHqkuaFRdLU
Bring you experience and recommendations, and be ready to make your case one way or another. I think that both Larry and I would like to make a decision sooner rather than later, so that we can begin the painful transition without delay, if that is what we face. It should be a fun discussion!
That is what you can expect for the coming week. I am excited about the Macro Fundamentals series that has rather consumed the last couple of weeks, but I’d be lying if I said this was not also a daunting challenge. At least for the time being, this project is adding a great deal of work to my week and could very easily put me behind on other projects. If you are affected by any such delay, please let me know. Lastly, I am eager for any feedback, but especially for any that pertains to the Macro Fundamentals project - please don’t hesitate to let me know what you like, what you don’t, or how you would like to see the project develop in a way that would help you achieve your photography goals.
A top tip for those who made it to the end of this post. There is a way that you can successfully get in touch with me. My Patreon members, those who maintain a certain level of support, are given my private telephone number and are welcome to use it, with a few reasonable guidelines to bear in mind. But what about my YouTube followers - how can they contact me directly, when the need arises? The most obvious solution would be for you to join Patreon. In so doing you would not only gain access through that relationship, but you would also be helping the channel in the most direct and tangible way possible. Your monthly contribution to the channel is my primary source of income through the channel. Without the monthly contributions of my Patreon Supporters I would not be able to keep this channel alive. And every little bit helps. This Livestream series and the accompanying ebook, have greatly increased my workload and will continue to do so for the next 12 months. I am thrilled to be doing this for all of you and will continue to do the work whether or not you decide to join the small group of heroes who help me to keep the lights on around here. But I also recognize that, despite wanting to support the channel financially, you may simply be unable to do so right now. If that is you then there is still a way that can contact me. There are actually several ways to do it, but only one of them has a high likelihood of success. Sending me an email is not a good strategy. I used to answer every email that was sent to me, but those days are long gone. I receive far more email than I can reasonably expect to find the time to answer. So, what is the solution? Come to a livestream and leave me a message in the chat section. I do see these messages in real time and, if you follow these guidelines, there is a very good chance that I will be able to answer your message. Here is the way you need to do it…
Address your message to me and use your real name as sender (no nicknames or Discord handles).
Include your current, active email address with your message.
Tell me how I can help you - be specific but keep it brief.
I will respond as quickly as possible
Without a real name and email address I won’t be able to respond. I do not give long, detailed responses to technical questions unless you are a Patreon Supporter or one of my private students, though I will answer interesting questions, publicly. in a subsequent livestream.
That is all I have for now. Hope to see you in one or more of our events this week!
Allan
