2026

Lamproderma

In Tuesday’s livestream I am going to share with you the design of my studio diffusion frame for use with microscope objective based lens systems. It is compact and very effective. You will probably want to make one. As I will be sharing the 3D print files, you will be able to do so, but you will need a couple of other things. Here they are…

single layer diffuser frame

Affiliate Links (as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small fee from purchases completed using these links, at no cost to you)

Glocusent macro light - https://amzn.to/4ptyt90

Renian Diffusion Material - https://amzn.to/4ppjEEs

Boswell hot glue gun - https://amzn.to/45uLGXP

NT Circle Cutter - https://amzn.to/4jrFfe0

two styles of lamp diffuser

What follows are not exactly New Year’s Resolutions, because these changes will be open to revision or reversal in the event they don’t yield the anticipated benefits, but they are proposals that share some of the characteristics of “resolutions”. By this I mean that the changes have been designed to improve the product that I am delivering to you, and making meaningful improvements is seldom a comfortable process. We all like to stay within our comfort zones, because change feels risky and difficult, and real change is never welcome or comfortable.  One of the main reasons that so many of our resolutions don’t last until the second week in January is because of the expectations, held both by our selves and by our friends, co-workers, and loved ones, that these are permanent resolutions. When we announce a resolution to quit smoking, we don’t mean we are planning to quit smoking until January 7th. We are broadcasting our intention to stop smoking forever. This kind of expectation, baked into New Year resolutions, is why they generally have such dismal success rates. When the outcomes are limited to complete success or total failure, there is little room for the kind of incremental improvements that can actually yield long-term, durable results.

Some other hallmarks of the New Year resolution is that it is emotionally driven, poorly planned, over-advertised, and unrealistic.You might even find that some resolutions are conceived and announced during a moment of intemperance, the office party, for example, only to be regretted and walked back, long before the first tub of ice cream must be resisted. The changes that I am proposing at the beginning of 2026 have been carefully thought through, researched, and discussed with trusted advisors. They are intended to yield specific, measurable results that will improve the viewer’s experience of my content while maintaining the viability of the channel and potentially providing the resources necessary to grow the business. I am going to share with you my plans for 2026, but not all at once. Some initiatives are still in the planning phase, while others are being implemented as I write. One or two of them have already been introduced, and on these I will give an update.

An important part of laying out my plans is so that I can ask for your feedback and opinion on the various changes, after all, they are going to affect you as much as they will me. The first change is going to be in how I communicate with you. I am going to change the format of my weekly blog posts to be more useful to the viewer. Interestingly, I have already broken this new rule in the first blog post of the year (this one) - not a very promising start! The change is that I will make all my announcements up front, at the top of the post. I have been putting them in or after the post, because that is where they seemed to fit. But I have realized that they will only fit there if you are reading the post, which provides the context for the upcoming content. But many are not doing so and only want to find a link or hear what the upcoming content is about. So to make it easier for everyone, all that stuff will be presented at the top of the page. The content, article, images, etc. will follow.

lamproderma scintillans

For this week, just imagine that what you just read will come after what you are about to read…

This week on the AWP channel

Tuesday morning - December Competition Results Video release on YouTube - Link: https://youtu.be/PLZgsGRW_-E

Tuesday at 8PM - Macro Talk - Macro Diffusion - the right way. Link: https://youtube.com/live/3PnhFAJwBDo?feature=share

Thursday at 2PM - Macro Talk Too - Troubleshooting revisited - Link: https://youtube.com/live/gru0JDGI-A4?feature=share

Friday at 2PM - Crystal Art with Harold Hall - Zoom Invite: Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

The highlands in winter - for no particular reason

Topic: Crystal Art with Harold Hall

Time: Jan 9, 2026 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=89605431899

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

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Saturday 10AM - AfterStack with Bud Perrott - Zoom Invite: Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: AfterStack 38

Time: Jan 10, 2026 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=86052186857

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

Join instructions

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A very strange looking beetle

***

In my next post I am going to give an update on my AI assistant project and introduce you to  a very exciting concept, suggested by one of my friends. This idea is a way for viewers to support the channel, while cleaning out old, unused gear, helping me produce fresh educational content, raising some revenue for the channel, and giving viewers the opportunity to purchase gear they have always wanted, but at thrift shop prices. I will explain everything very soon - stay tuned!

a moth

This month’s macro competition is titled “Winter”. The rules are back to normal - 2 entries unless you have won the contest in the last 12 months, when you will only be able to submit one. The pictures need to be close up or macro images at 1:2 (half life-size of greater) and they must communicate the idea of wintertime. How you do that is up to you. I will announce the Guest Judge for this month as soon as I can find a way to coerce him/her into accepting the challenge.

condylostylus species

Finally, I am looking for a couple of volunteers to take on a task with me. It is not too difficult and can be done in small chunks when you have the time. It is a very short term commitment and I will be most appreciative for the assistance. If you want to know more, I will schedule a zoom meeting for any interested folks, probably within the week, and I will explain everything.

overwintering pseudoscorpion

Thanks and I wish you all a happy and productive 2026!

Planning Ahead

Studio starting to look a lot better!

Summer is half over andI have no idea where the first half went - but I have a feeling the second half is not going to go by any slower. So this probably the perfect time to start thinking about the rapidly approaching “off-season” for insect photography. If you, like me, want to plan for a productive winter in the studio, the time to do so is now. For the first time in many years I have had to come to grips with the reality of an honest to goodness winter season - and I am not talking about the kind of winter that I am used to - the kind that consists of a week or two of temperatures in the mid-fifties. In just a few more weeks I will be faced with some of the harshest winter weather that the North American continent can produce. The Midwest is well known for its long, cold, wet ,and windy winters, with heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures being absolute certainties.

Every year, in the early fall, I will devote a little time to talk about the changing seasons but it has always been with a sort of academic detachment - like I was describing the conditions one might expect to encounter during a visit to one of Jupiter’s smaller moons. This year I feel a slightly greater sense of urgency and have decided to tackle this question both earlier and more thoroughly than I have in the past. And with this in mind our preparations for the coming winter kick off this week with a two part livestream titled “Planning Ahead”.

In  Part I, on Tuesday July 23rd, I am going to lay the ground work for a series of more detailed and specific discussions that will deal with exactly how we can get the most out of the coming winter. In this first session I will talking mostly about the things we can do to  extend the insect photography season, though later on I will  be getting into several other macro disciplines that also require some careful planning. Here are a few of the specific issues I will discuss on Tuesday:

Setting realistic goals

Making a “Catch List”

Dry cleaning vs. wet cleaning

Pre-posing cleaned subjects

Dealing with eyes

The importance of maintaining an up to date “catch catalogue” and shooting schedule

Stocking up on supplies

Planning for bycatch

Dealing with soft bodies and the role of taxidermy

Storage for shipping vs. storage for shooting

Live storage

Never wet and never dry subjects

Avoiding stress

Chemical consequences

Purchased specimens and the difference between commercial drying and home drying

Size matters

Don’t forget the background

To Kroil or not to Kroil?

Sounds like a lot to cover? It is - but that is why I am starting this discussion earlier than I have done in past years. And most of these topics will covered separately and in more depth in future livestreams and video presentations. But for now, here is your invitation to the livestream… https://youtube.com/live/J3aulAGOWDI?feature=share

The first of these deeper dives  will be presented on Thursday when I get into to the very practical matter of pre-shoot temporary storage of posed and unposed specimens.

This is a subject I have not previously presented at such a granular level, but just exactly how do you store cleaned and posed insects for future photography? In this stream I will show you the storage methods that I personally use and I will also show you exactly how I make the storage vessels I prefer. Think of it as a mini-DIY tutorial  - easy to do and extremely helpful. Here is your invitation to the livestream… https://youtube.com/live/YDUkWV0kg0w?feature=share

If you are waiting for the recording from Saturday’s  Pzoom livestream, it is posted over on Patreon - and it was a good one! I have also posted a copy of the chat, which is packed with useful links and other cool information.

But if you are waiting for the release of the “Tangent - 3D modeling livestream”, it was released today and can be seen by following this YouTube link, or you can simply click the video link https://youtu.be/L2r4ziTplXo, and just watch it from here…

This is a non-Pzoom weekend coming up, but that means it is time for another “After Stack” post-production workshop and roundtable discussion with Bud Perrott and yours truly.

This week we are going to be taking a closer look at all the different ways that we can refine masks in Photoshop and other non-destructive phot-editors. If you have not come to one of these events in the last, this would be a great time to change that as this promises to be an extremely practical and helpful session for anyone doing their own macro photography editing (in other words, for everyone). Don’t miss it - Saturday morning at 10AM. This is a Zoom event so you will need a copy of the invitation to attend - and here it is -

Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: After Stack with Bud Perrott and Allan Walls

Time: Jul 27, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=88626705185

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

The July Macro Competition is wrapping up next week, so if you have not submitted your entry for the month you need to be thinking about getting that done before NEXT THURSDAY! The theme is “It Came from the Grocery Store” - a macro photograph of something you could find at the local grocery shop - shot at 1:2 or greater magnification. You can submit up to two images unless you have previously won this competition, in which case you may only submit a single entry. Harold Hall is my guest judge for this event and I am really looking forward to this one!

Lastly, I am trying to get a headcount for the upcoming “First Annual Midwest Macro Picnic and Livestream” - if you are interested in participating in a free, live, wide-angle macro workshop, somewhere in Illinois during the first or second weekend of September, you need to let me know how many people you are bringing and where you are coming from (so I can choose a venue that is maximally convenient for everyone). You can message me through the Walls App (https://www.walls-app.com) or the Patreon messaging system, but you need to do it right away - I have a lot of arrangements to make!