The past two years have been for most of us a roller-coaster ride due to the constant lockdowns and restrictions. As the pandemic isolated me I decided to take several online photography courses to keep my mind occupied. Also to become a more creative photographer expanding my skills and learning something new.
The first course was through CreativeLive where I stumbled upon Kathleen Clemons flower photography. The second course was a floral photography course through Jackie Kramer . I was always fascinated by flower photography therefore both courses were right up my alley and I felt that they invigorated my photography work and gave me new ideas. Let’s face it, we all feel creatively stuck at some point or another.
DO I TRULY NEED A NEW CAMERA LENS?
The thing is, your lens has a huge affect on the quality of your images, So from an artistic point of view, generally speaking, a camera is only as good as the lens attached to it.
I intuitively knew that as a part of my continuous creative growth I needed to invest in a new lens……the Lensbaby (this lens was used in some of the online lessons). I needed to explore a new and different territory in order to take my photography to a new level.
The Butchart Gardens Christmas Lights 2021
WHAT IS A LENSBABY?
In 2004, a professional photographer Craig Strong founded Lensbaby in 2004 to help photographers see in a new way. All Lensbaby lenses have manual focus. They can be divided into two types, standalone and Optic Swap. The Lensbaby Optic Swap lenses have two parts…. lens body, and optic.
So here I am with my new toy – the Lensbaby Optic Swap Composer Pro II with the Sweet 50 optic. I have decided to go with the Lensbaby Sweet 50 because of its dreamy blur effect which complements my flower photography and makes my images dreamy. It did take a bit of practice to figure out the best aperture. I very quickly embraced shooting in a manual which was not as difficult as I had originally anticipated.
If anyone is looking for a lens that is fun and will challenge your creativity, Lensbaby truly is your answer! If you are not familiar with their lenses, I would suggest you visit Lensbaby website and take a look at their Lensbaby gallery to get an idea if this is something that appeals to you.
The Butchart Gardens Christmas Lights 2021
It’s only been a few months since I got my first Lensbaby Sweet 50 and I am already debating which Lensbaby optic will be next. The Lensbaby options are endless. However, they might not be for everyone. I could never use these optics in my Real Estate photography. On the other hand, Lensbaby puts a creative and untraditional spin on my “artsy” flower images which complement my style of photography.
In the meantime, I will continue my love affair with Lensbaby Sweet 50.
