So all those creative blur, selective images you’ve been seeing recently grabbed your attention and sparked your curiosity. You researched. Asked questions. You made a decision you hope is the correct one. You purchased a Lensbaby. But what now? What is the best way to get started? In this post I’ll guide through how to begin so you’re less frustrated and don’t want to toss the lens in a drawer for another day or put it up sale as a “barely used new lens.”
I speak from experience here. I purchased my first Lensbaby optic with the original Composer Pro quite a few years ago. Many photographers were having success and posting their results in an online photography forum I frequented. I had a little bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) and not much of a budget so when this used Composer and Double Glass optic showed up on a used equipment site I bought it. I tried it. I was almost instantly frustrated and I didn’t know where to turn for help. So the Composer and the optic ended up in a drawer.
A few years later I took a macro class where the instructor recommended the Velvet 56. I loved her work so I saved up until I could buy one of my own. This started me on a path of wanting more, but that frustration didn’t immediately disappear when I bought another lens or a new optic. I needed to understand the mechanics behind a lens I could rotate for it to make sense. I needed to understand how my choice of aperture would affect my image. Once I figured it out, I was on my way to a full blown love of selective focus!
One of the features of almost all Lensbaby lenses is that they have a range of apertures to choose from. With the exception of the Sol series, which has a fixed 3.5 aperture, the others allow you to shoot from wide open to closed down. You get all the effect to none of the effect. Most people, myself included, grab a new lens, open the aperture up and try shooting wide open. And we’re disappointed. My lack of knowledge of the workings of the lens slowed me down . I tried several different things, not really understanding how my actions were affecting my image. I moved that Composer up, down, left, right and tried again. I was positive it was the lens. Not me. I knew what focus looked like. I just couldn’t find it in my work. Something else that hindered me overcoming this was when I reviewed my work on my computer I had no idea which way I pulled or pushed my Composer. The results were confusing.
Then one day I accidentally happened across someone’s recommendation to close down and to stop tilting that Composer. They were onto something. I closed down to f/8 and quickly found focus. I wasn’t getting a lot of effect but I was learning how to use the lens. Then I tried 5.6 and 4. Now we were getting somewhere! The tilting though still puzzled me at first. I love how it pulled the blur and the bokeh but what I wasn’t fully cognizant of when I pulled or pushed the lens was the fact that I needed to be looking in that direction because I was changing the plane of focus. With that new piece of information when I pushed up/down/left/right, that’s where I would look to find focus. Light bulb moment for sure!
Another technique to help find focus is to use a tripod and close down. Find your focus at f/8 and then change your aperture without refocusing your lens. This is a little bit tricky. You’ll have to hold the end of lens very still with one hand while rotating the aperture ring with the other. It might be helpful to try it out a few times while you are not actively shooting and while you’re holding your camera in your hands or on your lap!
Anther part of my frustration came from the fact that I wasn’t intentionally trying to compose my work in camera. I was just looking at a scene and trying to make something of it by adjusting my aperture and rotating my Composer. It’s here the work began. I set myself up in a plain scene. Nothing fancy. I shot straight ahead at f/8, then f/5.6 and down to whatever wide open was on that lens. Then I decided to compose my image so my subject was on the left side of my frame. I rotated the Composer to the left and used the same pattern shooting at f/8 and down to wide open, making sure I had focus where I wanted it to be. My movements of the Composer to the left/right and up/down were small at first and then I moved further in each direction. It didn’t take long before I became comfortable shooting wide open and having my subject anywhere in my frame I wanted it to be. This is more difficult with some cameras and definitely when looking through the view finder. Using Live View, if available, or Focus Peaking on a mirrorless camera can be really helpful. However, I prefer to use my viewfinder as I am more stable with the camera directly over my elbows and close to my body so I had do a little bit more work to so to see in camera, but it’s definitely doable. It just takes a little practice.
Finding focus with the Sol series is similar. You can rotate the Sol left/right and up/down or diagonally. When you tilt the lens up, your area of focus will be towards the top. Tilt it right and that’s where you’ll find your area of focus. With a fixed aperture of 3.5 you can’t change the amount of blur in your images but since having that selective focus is the reason most of us choose Lensbaby, it’s really only one less decision you have to make!
When you begin creating with a fixed lens such as the Velvet series, the Burnside or an optic in a straight housing such as the Soft Focus ii I would still suggest a mid-range aperture of f/5.6 or f/8 at first. Once you’re comfortable finding focus there, then start opening up, stop by stop. It is possible to get focus in places other the center of your images with those lenses by angling your camera and moving your plane of focus away from being completely parallel with your subject. It’s take a little practice, but it’s a skill worth developing!
Let’s talk a little bit about the exposure triangle when creating with a Lensbaby. If you’re not totally comfortable shooting in manual mode you can try shooting in aperture priority mode if you camera allows that. When shooting in aperture priority, your camera is deciding your shutter speed. You can also select your ISO based on your lighting conditions or chose auto ISO if that is a feature of your camera. By selecting aperture priority and auto ISO, the only decision you have to make is the aperture and of course, your composition! All of this does not apply with the Sol series, but you can read on for more information!
Recently, I bought the Sol 45 and took it for a walk. I put my camera in aperture priority, used auto ISO and since the lens is a fixed 3.5 aperture, all I had to do was decide how to compose my image and what I wanted my subject to be and focus. NOTE: Putting my camera in aperture priority does not work with my mirrorless camera and I don’t know if it works with other brands. I’d say to try it and see! If not, you’ll have to select your shutter speed. Just make sure it’s fast enough to prevent camera shake! I’d suggest no lower than 1/100 second as a beginner or if your hands aren’t steady. You may be able to slow that down as you become more experienced. I would recommend this for anyone new to photography.
If you are comfortable shooting in manual mode then any Lensbaby will work for you! You’ll just have to play around with finding focus and selecting how much of an effect you want to see. There will still be a bit of a learning curve, but with a little practice and patience you should be able to figure it out!
Hopefully by explaining little bit about how Lensbaby lenses/optics work I have taken a little bit of the mystery out of it for you. There can be a learning curve but understanding the basics of how to start and why will go a long way to finding your voice and to helping your shoot extraordinary!