How I used a glass ball (orb) for macro photos

I used a glass orb with a wire stand to make some interesting macro photos of a snail shell. You can see the images here. Below is a diagram of the setup. I used coat hanger wire to make the stand.

I got my 80mm orb from an Amazon reseller.

Closeups with Glass Orb

There is a group on G+ that features images taken with a glass ball or orb. It's called #oculusimages. Most of the images are landscapes and they are pretty cool. Well, the orb can magnify as well. So I used it as a magnifying glass for photographing a snail shell. I really like the images. I love have the light diffracts and the blur. Kind of like a lensbaby, but more versatile. I made a little stand for my orb and put the shell underneath it. I lit the shell with a flashlight. I will definitely be playing with this again.