Lensbaby: what’s the big deal?

So . . . . You may have one. You may have heard of them – or not. You may want one . . . or not even know you want one (I will convince you otherwise before you are done reading this!) Lensbaby lenses are small, portable lenses that are entirely controlled by you. Even though they attach to your camera, they do not communicate with it in any way. That means that not only do you control the manually, but you will focus manually as well. Scared yet? In the world of digital , precise lenses, and sophisticated cameras, we expect pixel-perfect photographs. Lensbaby lenses are your one chance to let go a bit and learn to embrace the uncertainty of focus and the spontaneity of creating a shot that absolutely cannot be reproduced. Ready to dive in? Sweet 35 Understand your equipment A Lensbaby has two parts: body and lens optic. While the company has offered a variety of designs in the past, they currently offer only one type of lens body: the Composer Pro. It is no more than two attachments held together by a ball joint. One side attaches to your camera, the other to the lens optic. The ball joint is fully bendable in every direction. There are lots of available for your Lensbaby, but they all fit the Composer Pro and are interchangeable. You only need one Composer Pro, and you can use it with as many optics as you own.

Sweet 50 Understand your equipment Lensbaby optics come in a variety of focal lengths: 35mm (“Sweet 35”), 50mm (“Sweet 50”), and 80mm (“Edge 80”). The previously available “double glass” optic was a 50mm optic which has been replaced by the much-easier to use Sweet 50. Sweet 35 and Sweet 50 have central area of sharp focus, and a radial pattern of surrounding blur. The Edge 80 offers a slice of focus. There are also a variety of creative optics available – the optic, plastic optic, single glass optic, and /pinhole optic. Each optic has different properties and different creative advantages. Finally, Lensbaby recently released a 5.8mm circular fisheye optic. Lensbaby also makes the Lensbaby Spark, which is a great little start-out lens. It is a Lensbaby body and optic in one. While the accordion-type body and fixed aperture at f/5.6 can be limiting, it will kick-start your creativity without setting back your gear fund. I think everyone needs to start out with one of the “standards” – Sweet 35 or 50, or the Edge 80. They will help you figure out how to bend the blur to your creative whim. Sweet 35 A word on manual focusing

Since shooting a Lensbaby will require you to focus manually, you must make sure your camera viewfinder is adjusted for your shooting eye. No matter how “bad” your eyes are, you can set up your viewfinder to give you accurate focus – I promise. The vision in both of your eyes is probably different at least a little bit, and this bit will make a difference. Which eye do you use to shoot? When I started paying attention, it turned out I used either of my eyes. With a bit of experimentation I figured out that my left eye is stronger, and was my dominant eye. This is the eye for which my viewfinder diopter is set. Sweet 35 Best way to set up your diopter

The best way to set your diopter is actually with your lens cap CLOSED. Yes, you read this correctly. I don’t even remember where I learned about this trick – but this, hands down, is key to achieving sharp manual focus. This is actually better done with one of your “regular” lenses rather than a Lensbaby. 1. Close your lens cap. 2. Look through your viewfinder and push the shutter half way down to activate your camera’s meter: the vertical hash marks of your meter and other digital information that appears in your view finder. 3. Adjust your diopter until the hash marks of your meter are sharp. Sweet 35 Shooting with Lensbaby As I previously mentioned, Lensbaby lenses do not communicate with your camera body – this means that you MUST have your camera set to either Aperture Priority (“AV”) mode or the manual mode to be able to shoot. For each of the most popular optics – Sweet 35, Sweet 50, and Edge 80 – the aperture is controlled by the ring on the optic. The direction of the blur of each optic is controlled by the tilt of the Lensbaby body.

Sweet 35 Edge 80 Metering Metering with a Lensbaby is tricky. This is because every time you change the tilt of the lens, you will change the amount of light hitting your sensor, depending on the direction of your tilt in relation to the light source. Meter readings in this setting can be unpredictable. I usually meter with my Lensbaby untilted, then tilt, take a test shot, and adjust my based on the histogram. I’ve been asked before why don’t I just tilt the lens first, then meter and adjust. The answer is simple: I’ve had better luck adjusting settings faster if I meter first. As with many things Lensbaby, there is no right or wrong, there is just what works for you. Every time you change the tilt of the lens, you will have to at least re- evaluate, and likely adjust, your exposure.

Lensbaby with no tilt. The light hits the sensor in a Tilted Lensbaby. The amount of light hitting the predictable way. sensor depends on the direction of the tilt. Focusing Focusing with your Lensbaby will always be more challenging than manually focusing with a standard lens. Of course, with lots of practice you will absolutely improve. When photographers first try to shoot their Lensbaby, they frequently get frustrated. One big reason this happens is that the subject they choose to practice on is not stationary or cooperative. Do yourself a huge favor, and save lots of nerves for yourself and your family, and avoid Lensbaby buyer’s remorse. ONLY PRACTICE ON COOPEARTIVE SUBJECTS. I mean it. It makes all of the difference. I doubt it will come as a surprise when I tell you that there is not one perfect way to learn to focus your Lensbaby. Here, I will tell you about different ways people have done it. You will have to try and learn to see what works for you. Sweet 35 Learning to focus

Learn to shoot wide open vs. learn to shoot at f/4 or f/5.6 Most people who shoot their Lensbaby well will tell you that the easiest way to learn is to close down your aperture some, usually to f/4 or f/5.6. For Lensbaby lenses, the aperture controls the size of the area of focus: the smaller the aperture (the larger the number) the bigger the area of focus is. For Sweet 35, wide open is f/2.5 – that is a pretty small sweet spot, and when you are first starting out it is hard to see for sure. On the following pages, compare the sharp area of focus at f/2.8, f/4, and f/5.6. It’s easy to appreciate why learning focus is easier a bit closed down. Yet, some photographers advocate for learning to shoot the Lensbaby wide open. After all, once you learn to do that, you can do anything. I think I diligently tried to learn to shoot at f/4. It didn’t last long, though, as my usual propensity is to shoot much wider than that. Sweet 35 f/2.5 Sweet 35 f/4 Sweet 35 f/5.6 Learning to focus The closer your object is, the softer the blur, and the harder it is to see the sweet spot or the slice of focus when you are first starting out. Start with distant subjects first to see how the tilt of your lens affects the location of the sharpness in your frame.

Sweet 50, distant subject. Area of sharpness has a quick Edge 80, subject close-up. Area of sharpness has a fall-off, making the sweet spot easy to identify. gradual fall-off, creating softer blur. Learning to focus Learn to shoot without a lens tilt vs. learn to shoot tilted Making the area of sharp focus easier to identify as you close down the aperture is one part of the equation. The other part of this equation is learning where to actually anticipate that area in your frame. While it sounds like it should be straight forward, new Lensbaby shooters quickly learn that– once again – it takes practice to do that. Many opinions exist on the best way to do this. Some photographers advocate shooting the lens straight on first, then learning to shoot tilted. (It should be noted that Sweet 35 and Sweet 50 always have the tell-tale radial blur, even if not tilted. However, Edge 80 without a tilt behaves as a standard lens with no blur in the frame). Others recommend tilting the lens, and leaving it at the same tilt while shooting a variety of scenes, until you can easily and predictably identify the sweet spot or the slice of focus in the frame. Then, you should tilt the Lensbaby to a different position, and repeat the exercise. Personally, I didn’t last long without a tilt. I mean, I got my Lensbaby so that I can tilt and blur, right? Using your LCD to focus So, can’t you just use your LCD to focus? You can – as long as you are aware of the limitations of doing so. The appearance of the image on the LCD screen of your camera while in liveview mode is actually digitally created based on your camera settings. This is called exposure simulation. Since your camera cannot “read” the aperture of your Lensbaby, it is left guessing how to simulate your exposure, resulting (usually) in a very dark image. To clarify – this is just the appearance of your image in liveview mode, before you click the shutter. In my experience, Canons tend to do this more frequently than or other brands of camera bodies. This is easily remedied by turning off your exposure simulation in your camera’s options menu.

Sweet 35 Using your LCD to focus

If you decide to use your LCD to focus, make sure your area of focus is in a desired part of the frame, zoom in to 100%, and then tweak focus. Be aware that you may have to use much higher shutter speeds focusing this way to avoid camera shake, since you are no longer stabilizing your camera body against yourself while you are shooting.

Sweet 50 Getting more shots in focus No matter what way you choose to focus, when you shoot with your Lensbaby, expect less “keepers” than you would with your regular lenses. Depending on what subject you are photographing, much less. For each scene you are shooting, you will have to take several captures to increase the chances of getting a shot that is acceptable to you. When I shoot, I will usually focus, shoot, and then refocus and shoot again at least twice per scene. To summarize what I do, I would call it focus- defocus-refocus. With focusing being as tricky as it is, I like to give myself one or two more chances at success. The other technique I’ve heard about is keeping your camera in the multiple shot mode (so that as you press the shutter, you shoot multiple frames), and twisting the focus ring of your Lensbaby while pushing the shutter. I tend not to use this as much because I have better luck with the technique I mentioned above. Sweet 35 So, what is acceptable focus? If you expect tack-sharp eyes in your Lensbaby, you will be very disappointed. Lensbaby lenses ARE sharp, and are certainly capable of capturing lashes you can count. However, because of the tilt and blur, such focus is incredibly hard to achieve, and those shots will be very rare. This does not mean that you delete any of the shots that do not have such focus. Rather, it means that you have to give yourself permission to love your shots, and keep them even if your focus is not tack sharp. After all, the reason you shoot with your Lensbaby is not to get a sharp shot (that’s what your other lenses are for). The Lensbaby lenses are a part of your arsenal because of their spontaneity, unique effects, and ability to create absolutely unreproducible images.

Edge 80 Edge 80 100% crop

While for a standard lens I would consider this type of shot suboptimal (only one eye in focus), I think this is quite acceptable for a Lensbaby shot. This one is a keeper! Edge 80

100% crop Sweet 50

100% crop 100% crop Sweet 35 Removing optics

To be very honest, I find this very challenging! I think this is, at least in part, due to the fact that you have to align the hollow dot with the solid dot and twist . . . wait, or was it the solid dot with the solid dot? Exactly. (The right way is the first way, by the way.) Here’s the easiest way to do this: Hold your camera in your left hand. With your right hand: - Twist the Composer’s focus ring all the way TOWARDS you to bring the optic all the way out. - Turn the optic’s aperture ring TOWARDS you all the way. - Push the optic in and turn it TOWARDS you to disconnect the optic. I am right-handed, so it works for me. If you are a leftie, hold your camera in your right hand, and make three turns away from you. That’s it. Sweet 50 Which optic do I need?

This is the most frequent question I get asked by photographers considering getting a Lensbaby. There is no easy answer to this, because the answers really depend on what you like to shoot. The truth is, if you like the Lensbaby system, you will likely wind up getting more than one optic.

Edge 80 Sweet 35 and Sweet 50

These two optics have a circular area of focus, called the “sweet spot,” surrounded by gradual blur. The blur of Sweet 50 is somewhat softer than that of Sweet 35. As the aperture decreases (the number gets larger) the sweet spot gets larger and the blur will become softer. Single points of light in the frame will become directional ovals. The circular blur of these optics add the feeling of movement to your shots. As with any wide lens, the Sweet 35 works well for landscapes and cityscapes. Both optics lend themselves beautifully to centered composition. Even though many areas of your image will be blurred, distracting areas may still be visible (such as a very dark object in an otherwise very light frame), and may detract from your image. Because the blur created by these optics is directional, getting rid of distractions in post-processing can be very problematic. To avoid this, be sure to mind your entire frame as you are shooting. Due to the implied movement, some viewers can get physically uncomfortable when looking at the shots taken with these optics (especially Sweet 35). To minimize this effect, avoid extreme tilts, close down your aperture some, and avoid including single points of light in the frame.

Sweet 35, extreme tilt to the right Edge 80

Edge 80 creates a slice of focus surrounded by gradual blur. As aperture decreases (number gets larger) the slice of focus gets wider and the blur will become softer. Depending on the direction of the tilt, you can create a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal slice of focus. Untilted, Edge 80 will work as any standard 80mm lens with no blur (this is unlike the Sweet 35 and 50, which always blur). Edge 80 also has a pull-out extension that enables it to function as a macro lens. Once you own Edge 80, it is absolutely worth it to spend some time with your lens to figure out how to create a predictable slice of focus. This is done best by shooting a patterned background that will allow you to easily see areas of focus and blur. Controlling the slice of focus

Edge 80, no tilt Edge 80, left tilt

Edge 80, tilted up Edge 80, tilted up and right As you can see, tilting Edge 80 up or down creates a horizontal slice of focus. Tilting the Edge optic left and right creates a vertical slice of focus. Tilting the optic to a corner of the fame will introduce a diagonal slice of focus. A more detailed tutorial on this is available on my site: http://www.ninamingioni.com/tutorial-lensbaby-edge-80-learning-to-see-the-slice-of-focus/

Edge 80 Edge 80: unique properties Edge 80 has other unique properties. The slice of focus it creates goes deep into the frame – that means that in one slice of focus you can get, in sharp focus, objects that are both near and far to the camera. This is absolutely not possible with a standard lens. In the example below, both the man and the “Frankford Av” street sign are in sharp focus, even though the street sign is significantly deeper in the frame than the man.

Edge 80 Edge 80’s other unique property is its ability to create a miniature effect. This is basically just an optical illusion – because the slice of focus is narrow, the area around the subject is out of focus, creating the effect of a very shallow , tricking our eye into thinking that the object must be really tiny. Edge 80 Creating a successful Lensbaby image

Now that you understand the properties of the Lensbaby optics, it’s important to practice so that you can consciously create predictable visual effects with each of them. Everyone has “happy accidents” that result in great images, but the key to creating successful Lensbaby images is to use the optics to bend reality to your creative vision.

Keep your lensbabies in your camera bag. Unlike your other lenses, they are light and do not take up a lot of room. This way, they will become a permanent part in your creative arsenal. Edge 80 • Pre-visualize your scene (and your future image) in “Lensbaby” – what should be in focus? What elements can fade into the blur? Does a circular focus or a slice of focus fit the scene best? Based on your vision, pick your optic. • How much blur would you like? Where should the focus fall? Pick the aperture for your shot, and tilt your lens. • Meter, take a test shot, adjust the settings. • Focus and shoot away. Definitely overshoot. • Be prepared to cull and delete A LOT. With that said, don’t pixel peep and don’t seek perfection. Cut yourself some slack in the focus department and enjoy the creative process. • You may have just one “keeper”, but no doubt you will be rewarded with some gems.

Sweet 50 Final thoughts

Slide 110

Edge 80