Recently, I visited my dear friend Sarah of Arrow and Apple Photography for a few days. We had a few photo adventures together and she shared a super fun technique with me that I invited her to share with you on the blog too! Enjoy...
Free-lensing is a fun technique to try if you have a camera with a removable lens! It's a method of shooting with your lens detached from the camera- but still held very closely. Holding your lens up to the camera (instead of attaching it) allows you to create a tilt-shift effect in your photos. With a LOT of practice, you can even learn how to selectively focus on one thing, while everything else becomes blurred! But don't be discouraged if you feel like nothing is focusing how you would like at first. It really takes a lot of practice. Practice photographing objects around your house before you try this on people! It's much harder to focus when your subject is a moving object.
Note: Before you get started, you have to know that as soon as you take the lens off of your camera and use it, there is a chance that dust can get into your camera. Please don't try this if the thought makes you uncomfortable! However, if you're not in a dusty area, you shouldn't have much cause for concern at all. When I free-lens, I hold my lens close to my camera body, and I try to use my hand to cup around the lens so as to shield the camera from bringing in dust, and from preventing too much light leak.
If you'd like to try it, here are a few tips!
1. Select your lens. Free-lensing isn't as effective with a wide-angle lens, because it's MUCH harder to get anything in focus! If you have several lenses to choose from, I would start with a 50mm or higher. If you have a zoom lens that came with your camera, you might want to make sure the lens is zoomed in to at least a 50mm range, if possible.
2. Before you detach your lens from your camera, set your exposure. Auto-exposure won't work correctly if your lens isn't connected to your camera.
3. Take off your lens, hold it very closely to your camera, and move it around a little! You get some really beautiful effects the more angles you try to hold it at. For instance, if the left side of your lens is touching your camera still, angle it so that the right side of your lens is pulled away from the camera. Try taking a few photos, and see how you like them! It's pretty exciting, right? (NOTE: Nikon users will need to set their camera to manual mode before removing the lens)
4. Practice! Practice, practice, I can't overemphasize this: Practice! This might not be something you will pick up right away, but if you love the effect, then it's definitely worth the time to shoot 100 photos before you like one. :)
5. Set the focus ring to "infinity" before you take your lens off.
Here are a few examples of photos that Sarah took with this free-lensing technique...
Thank you, Sarah, for sharing this lovely technique! xo. elsie
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing the tip. :) I'm going to try this.
Posted by: Psyche Castillon | May 01, 2012 at 01:42 AM
That sound like fun! I haven't tried it before but cant wait to.
Zoe
http://gypsiesister.blogspot.co.uk
Posted by: Zoe | May 01, 2012 at 01:47 AM
Beautiful photos!
Posted by: frutti | May 01, 2012 at 02:23 AM
I have never heard of this but worry as I have a Nikon D3100 I will have the same issue as Jenny with her D3000. I will try this tonight and see. Thanks for the tip!
http://liveandlove.typepad.com
Posted by: Sam | May 01, 2012 at 02:27 AM
good morning,
wow... what great and wonderful photos!!!!!!!!
thanks for sharing your tutorial :-)
with best wishes
sylvi
Posted by: sylvi | May 01, 2012 at 02:37 AM
Amazing! I never knew you could do this. In fact I thought turning the camera on with a lens removed could damage it! I'm so keen to give this a go, I love the medium format effect!
Posted by: meghan | May 01, 2012 at 02:38 AM
WOW!!
Thank you so much!!! It's pretty amazing!!
Posted by: IreneA | May 01, 2012 at 03:29 AM
Thanks for sharing, I love it!
Posted by: Dominique | May 01, 2012 at 04:03 AM
The effects are unbelievable!!!!
Posted by: Margherita | May 01, 2012 at 04:44 AM
always looking for cool ways to improve and experiment with my photography... so thanks so much for the great tutorial!!
xo
ardena rose
http://lavieenardenarose.blogspot.com
Posted by: ardena rose | May 01, 2012 at 05:20 AM
that's sooo beautiful!
Posted by: Chantal | May 01, 2012 at 05:36 AM
very interesting! hopefully will give it a crack! thanks! gorgeous photos too btw!
Posted by: Neen | May 01, 2012 at 05:59 AM
this is pretty awesome.
i can't wait to try.
i remember trying through the viewfinder and other ways to get your pictures to look different.
thank you!
Posted by: hannah | May 01, 2012 at 06:28 AM
I like this method and the shots look really great, but I was wondering if you tried this with film, it'd just expose your film pretty much, right? Didn't see that mentioned & was thinking how it'd react to the light...
(ps love the blog! =) )
Posted by: Jenny | May 01, 2012 at 06:37 AM
seriously love this photography tutorial. Is better to make a youtube video for this type of tutorial. I would glad to see more closely. I'm not sure if you will our comment. Anyway, it was am awesome tutorial!
Posted by: 3lin | May 01, 2012 at 06:47 AM
So going yo try this!
http//www.loganmakesamess.com
Posted by: logan | May 01, 2012 at 07:08 AM
This is a very interesting technique! Now that I've seen this I'm dying to give it a go, but it might have to wait for when I visit a less dusty place - rural Australia can get pretty damn dusty! The results are beautiful though.
Posted by: Stacey | May 01, 2012 at 07:10 AM
wow definitely going to give this a try. You're blog is just so inspiring. I've said it many a time but I'm sure one can never hear it enough. :)
Posted by: Tanja | May 01, 2012 at 07:24 AM
Such a great technique! Somewhen, I'll try it.
http://lecoursdeschoses.blogspot.com
Posted by: Katharina | May 01, 2012 at 07:32 AM
Wow I never thought of this before! I'm going to try it later :) xxx
Posted by: Philippa | May 01, 2012 at 07:51 AM