"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." ~ Michael Jordan
Lensbaby Velvet 85
Extension Tubes (stacked to 68mm)
August, 2018
Same garden as the last post.
Still playing with Lensbabies.
Same light.
Could the mood of these images be any different?
What do you see when you play?
I mean, really PLAY with your camera, just to see what you can do with it...
I've shot this wildflower garden 3 times now, and I'm heading back as soon as I can to give it one more go.
So far, the lenses I've used include:
Lensbaby Velvet 85
Extension Tubes (12mm)
August, 2018
Nikon 50mm f1.8
Nikon 105 mm f2.8
Tamron 18-300mm f3.5
Lensbaby Velvet 85
Lensbaby Composer Pro (double glass and sweet 35 optics)
Plus I've added extension tubes to some of the shots, only with my Nikon lenses for now (and the Velvet 85).
Oh, and I've gone back and forth between my D810 and D7100, mostly because I don't want to be changing lenses all the time. But also, I wanted to see the difference (especially when using the Composer Pro, whose optics I've been told work better with a smaller megapixel camera, in particular because I'm often shooting Aperture Priority and at a high ISO).
I've shot handheld and with a tripod.
I've worked in clouds, rain, and bright sunlight. With and without a diffuser.
Am I done yet?
Nope.
Lensbaby Velvet 85
Extension Tubes (stacked to 22mm)
August, 2018
How could I be, when just this last visit I'm capturing images like this?
Next up?
I want to use my Composer Pro with Lensbaby's macro converters and a diopter.
I also have a Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 and want to do some close (very) ultra wide angle shots of a flower, with the entire garden wrapping around it in a soft bokey background.
We'll see what I get when I go back again.
Always again with me.
I'm a re-reader, I watch TV series and movies over and over (often with the Director's Cut turned on, so I can better understand the design behind the end result).
It's a by-product of being a writer, an editor, an experimenter, an overall geek about process (I also read the ending of every story, right about time I finish the beginning ;o).
In the end, I guess I'm an artist determined to improve my own process and results as I strive to breathe life into the story I see when I look through a lens...
Who knows what I'll turn up.
Look for me in the weeds, bending over the fence, fighting with my tripod, crawling around on the ground. Long, man-pants on to protect from the bugs, sweating to death, squinting, staring, looking and re-looking, pouring everything I have into composing that next shot.
I'll be there for at least another hour or two, until heat stroke sets in.
I WILL get back before those wildflowers completely fade.
I might not match my previous visits in wonder and surprise--but I doubt it. Nature never lets me down.
Regardless, I can't wait to play!