Going crazy with a LensBaby

A wise man once told me that “a true photographer does not take a photograph, he makes a photograph.” With this theory in mind, my discovery of Lensbaby products challenged me in a whole new way. Once I began experimenting with Lensbabies I remembered that I was “making” a photograph not just taking one. This inspired me to shoot for creativity, expression and fun! Lensbabies allowed me to discover new, exciting ways of creating special effects through a unique optical system. I was able to bend and distort objects through my lens and view the world with a fresh outlook.

After experimenting with all three Lensbaby SLR lenses, the Muse, the Control Freak and the Composer, I began to favor the Composer because of it’s smooth, precise control. The Composer is new to the Lensbaby family with an innovative ball and socket configuration. With the Composer I was able to tilt the lens to a desired angle and gently perfect my shot with a barrel focusing ring. At first I was skeptical because the ball and socket required a lot of pressure for me to adjust the angle. However, the slight stiffness became an asset, as it stayed in position while focusing, and shooting.

The Composer produces a “sweet spot” of sharp focus, gently surrounded by graduated blur. This gives exquisite dream-like imagery, which allowed me to "go crazy" with my imagination. I was delighted to learn that the size of the sweet spot could be adjusted. Each optical element came with a series of variable aperture disks that magnetically stick to front of the lens. Naturally, the out of focus specular highlights take on the shape of the hole of your aperture disk. The Creative Aperture Kit allowed me to change the normally circular specular highlights into various shapes! So far I have experimented with the pre-cut heart and star shaped aperture disks, and I look forward to making my own aperture disks.

Like toy cameras, Lensbabies inspired infinite possibilities and through the magic of uncertainty, I came across surprising results. Lensbaby creator Craig Strong invented the Lensbaby as a way to bring out the qualities of the Holga camera to the digital age. This is fantastic for photographers like me who adore the excitement of shooting with toy cameras, but prefer the convenience of a digital SLR. When I paired a Lensbaby with a digital SLR I eliminated the possibility of light leaks ruining my masterpieces, which is an issue I encountered with toy cameras.

Lensbaby has come a long way with exciting accessories and attachments. The optic system enabled me to adjust the softness of my images and gave me the opportunity to play with pin hole and macro photography. My only struggle with the Composer is that it does not have a wide angle or telephoto attachment yet. I constantly found myself in awkward positions to get the composition I desired. With all the advancements they have came up with thus far, I would not be surprised if they come out with a wide angle or telephoto attachment one day. For now I am satisfied with what they have available and I cannot wait to get outside and take more fun shots with my brand new Lensbaby Composer.