I’ve recently been asked a few questions about how I like using a Lensbaby and if one is worth buying. It’s been a little over a year since I blogged about my first day taking it out of my camera bag, so I thought it might be fun to write an update. Warning- LOTS of pictures to follow.
Since that cold, lonely day last March, I’ve done quite a bit of experimenting with landscapes, just to get a feel for it. Obviously, barns, plants and trees are a lot more forgiving than people with eyes you’d like to see in focus.
It actually really wasn’t hard to get used to. I quickly became addicted to having all my photos blur out from a point of focus, something I’ve reined in a bit of late, but after looking at these I think I might start again.
I’ve gradually started to incorporate the Edge 80 into our usual editorial and portrait work. It’s almost always worth using to get some really unique shots, but it poses its own challenges- the lens is completely manual, both in terms of exposure and focus. You compose, tilt to get the blur effect you like, focus, shoot, and shoot a few more times to make sure the focus was where you expected it to be. It’s a “slow” lens, you could say, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
And I’m especially fond of it for studio work.
The elusive TJ headshot
As you can see, I’ve found it to be both versatile and inspiring. I love it so much I asked for the Sweet 35 optic for my birthday last fall. It’s been a slower learning curve, but it’s starting to grow on me.
First time using the Sweet 35
So there you have it. A “My Year with Lensbaby” anthology. Hopefully I’ll have a whole new chapter next year.
***** Kayt
Oh, if you’ve read this far, we’re considering adding more educational material to the blog, but wondering what the level of interest is in seeing that versus just photo collections, or if you’re all mostly just here for the pictures. Let us know in a comment below, we really want to know what you think.