Further to my comment made yesterday regarding Neil’s Lensbaby post I thought I would put this image up taken recently on the Outeniqua Mountains from a power van. I think it has a lensbaby feel to it, achieved by using a relatively slow shutter speed (1/20th) which necessitated a rather small aperture (F/16)coupled with a zoom burst. The van was travelling at the time so this added to the effect. As far as the image goes there is no P/shopping save the usual tweaking of levels and clone stamping crap out the way! Not the greatest of images but the point is to demonstrate that 'lensbabyesque' images are achievable in other (more conventional) ways. Do you agree? Aye or Naaay?
Paul.
5 comments:
Hi Paul - thanks for the comments. I agree the image does look lensbaby like – but only in regard to the plastic lens. I have three different lenses for it – zoneplate/pinhole, plastic and multicoated sharp. Aside from using PS, I’m not sure how you would conventionally mimic the sharp lens effect. I agree that it is a ‘tool’ which should be used sparingly, and, yes, it is no surprise that it appeals to me ;-) I also agree that all its effects can be recreated in PS. However, I spend hours in front of PS as it is, and for me I would rather get it right in-camera, in exactly the same way as I still use my lovely Lee filters and not PS! I’d be delighted to let you have a go on my baby (oh dear, where is this going …) … One word of warning though, when you manually change each ‘lens’ you can watch as all the dust and other nasties happily float down onto your exposed sensor … There is an academic paper waiting to be written on the sexual nature of camera and photographic terminology! Neil
I really like this shot Paul. I think you nailed it on the head when you said that there doesn't seem to be any crispness to the lensbaby shot. Neil mentioned that there is a multi-coated optic as well, so I would love to see some samples before I go on an anti-lensbaby tirade :) What I like about this tunnel shot is that although there is probably nothing that is absolutely crisp, you get the impression of sharpness in movement as the eye heads straight to the dark tunnel. There's a feeling of speed and impending calamity (?) which doesn't necessarily happen with a 'baby' which just makes things go fuzzy.
That said, I agree with you that Neil is the most likely candidate amongst us to make the look work. I also agree with him that we spend far too much time in front of the comp so getting the look in camera is a real bonus.
If you are into blurred images take a look at some of Alain Briot's stuff on blurred landscape images.
Cheers
E
I just want to add a comment about my original image. Please remember that the plastic optic is not supposed to have a sharp spot. That is the reason it is plastic after all! The lens is supposed to mimic so-called toy cameras - the Diana, the Holga etc - also selling in their droves and using film no less! I'm sure we all agree that not all images have to be crisp. I think the whole point of the Lensbaby is to move away from such conventions!
Neil.
touchy touchy :)
Yes, maybe 'touchy touchy'! But it seems somewhat odd to criticise an image for not being sharp when it was never supposed to be. It’s like criticising my blurred tree shot for not being sharp! :-)
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