These two chairs hang out down the beach from us every day, communing with one another and, very rarely, humans join them. My lensbaby practice for today (yay! it's done!) (mmmm...perhaps not my favorite lens yet?). But this was done with the current mundane challenge - chair - in mind. I used SC because the color version seemed too busy for the eye to focus on the single chair, even though that was about the only thing in focus.
@voiceprintz haha! Actually, the moth photo with lensbaby was my shot for yesterday, but I allowed myself to post from the 4th since I worked on the processing side for the wildflower garden shot. And I posted today, so 3 out of 3 so far! But truly, it feels like 'work' when I'm using it, and I look forward to having lensbaby behind me so I can use a more fun lens.
I so understand. I did the same thing. I would use the LB first and then have "real" fun. Now, I reach for the LB when I know I'm going to be someplace in which it would work best. It's a nice change of pace. Congrats on the 3 for 3.
@ceilidh@busylady Thanks Judith and Margaret! In fact, the lensbaby is a lens that has accordian stuff instead of firm tubes, so that you move it with your fingers to focus. It creates that combination of blur and clear focus. The hard thing is to get what you want to be the thing in clear focus, and to make sure something actual IS in clear focus!
Wow Taffy this is the first lensbaby shot that I really like!! The lovely red one in focus and then you get the impression that the green chair has whizzed up to get beside the other chair. Great sense of movement!! Now why do I like this one but am not moved by shots of blurry flowers? This is a strange lens which either leaves me saying Why? Or as with this shot saying Wow!!
I really like this one, especially the use of SC. My large hints for a Lensbaby for my birthday were fulfilled this morning - I can see it's going to be a frustrating learning curve and my first efforts today are definitely not for general viewing! My major problem is that I am too lazy generally to use my camera on manual so this is making me work doubly hard!
Ahhhh...loving everything about this!! The lens baby is really working for you..and love that selective color. The comp is really great also. How are those pesky little bugs dong?
I guess I am missing the point of the lensbaby or I'm the only person who doesn't like what it does to a picture. To me, this shot would look better if both chairs were in focus, and the one was colored red. As I look at it I don't understand why the one chair blurry- it doesn't seem to have a story. Oh, well- it's just my opinion!
@olivetreeann That's exactly what I'm struggling with using the lensbaby. The point of it is to make use of the blur to someone frame a creative shot. Many times I've seen them overexposed or totally blurry. While I like seeing others of that style, for me, it doesn't fit the high structure that I tend to go for. But, I'm determined to figure out a balance of using it for certain effects to create some images. So far, though...it's not my favorite lens, but I'm finding some things are interesting to use it for. We'll see...
@taffy Sometimes the fit between what the lens does and what you want to do is not a match and that might be the case for you. I'd be like you are though- to at least be able to use it under the right circumstances. I remember with my 35mm I really started looking at other shots and reading about how they were done when I was learning what to do and what not to do. So someone's suggestion on one of the other shots to put in the tag and see what pops up and check them out was a really good suggestion.
Hi Taffy. The focus is perfect here, so you can tick that off. Doesn't matter how many you took prior to this! Your comments to Ann just above this about structure really interested me, you have such a style for capturing the detail in all of a photograph and clearly the lensbaby isn't the lens for that. But it would, say, highlight a small architectural detail, or a person in a crowd, or a petal of a flower and leave the rest of the photo a bit of a mystery. I think you're mastering what the lens can do but you need to find a subject/ scene where you enjoy using it. Maybe a lone person on a Beaver Island beach might work?
At first I thought it was snowing on Beaver Island! Ha ha. I like the part blur/ part focus you get with the LB. It gives photos an appealing, artsy quality. Your use of sc works well in this shot too.
Fabulous sc Taffy and a good use for the Lensbaby, and it seems you are embracing your new lens and pushing through. Good for you, I think I may have said before it took my friend a while to get the hang of it. She took an amazing shot of a Teapot when I was with her one day and it was a fabulous image.
Looks an idyllic place for the chairs and great for the theme too.
@rachelwithey I studied your shots from today and see what you are talking about. For example, with the portrait, you focused on a particular part of the body, purposing blurring the rest. You're suggesting doing that with structures/buildings as well. I think that is what I was doing with this chair shot, but not thinking about it systematically. What I've come to see in using the and in the threads when I have is that the lensbaby is first and foremost for creating an artistic image, not a representational one. In doing that, we have quite a range of possibilities, determined by exposure level and degree of focus/blur. I think I would place myself along a continuum of lower exposure (lower-key ranges for the most part), and less rather than more blur, to get the images I like. That's been a huge thing for me to figure out. The other big 'aha' is that not all images 'work' for lensbaby, but that lensbaby opens the door to particular images not possible except in clumsier (less accurate) post-processing. Finally, I have learned I don't really like it, for me, for landscapes (as yet). I'm still figuring out the range of what does work, but at least the three I've posted so far (and one more I've been working on using brushes) I do feel good about. So much is personal taste, isn't it? Thanks for your continued encouragement and thoughts
@elaine55 Can you describe it a little? I'm thinking of two types of images that I could play with, one with regular size teapots, and one with a collection of teapots that Junko gave me, that are little miniatures.
Sorry I deleted previous comment. We were out on a photography walk and she was determined to use the Lensbaby all day as she was struggling with it. We were in a cafe and I mentioned shooting the teapot. It was a stainless steel one placed on an oval tray. She shot it from above with the focus on the teapot lid and the rest of the image was suitably out of focus. I hope that helps?
Instantly a fav! :-) I like how you’ve processed it and how the selective colouring makes the viewer focus on the red chair.
The LB is indeed more for creative shots, and not for photojournalism at all. And the initial learning curve is steep. But keep at it, and you’ll not regret it.
@rachelwithey
Your observation is quite ot the point, I feel. The LB got me back into taking pictures of buildings when I’d sort of got bored with that. And, yes, you tend to go for specific details with a LB; details that will often ‘drown’ in the picture you get with a standard lens.
July 11th, 2014
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Looks an idyllic place for the chairs and great for the theme too.
The LB is indeed more for creative shots, and not for photojournalism at all. And the initial learning curve is steep. But keep at it, and you’ll not regret it.
@busylady
Check out the Lensbaby home page for more info: http://lensbaby.com/
Wikipedia has some nice info, too.
@rachelwithey
Your observation is quite ot the point, I feel. The LB got me back into taking pictures of buildings when I’d sort of got bored with that. And, yes, you tend to go for specific details with a LB; details that will often ‘drown’ in the picture you get with a standard lens.