New Lensbaby Sweet 80!

I am so excited to share the announcement of a new Lensbaby, the Composer Pro II with Sweet 80 Optic is available for pre-order today! This new 80mm optic is the third in the Sweet series of tilting selective focus optics, joining the Sweet 35 and Sweet 50 optics with a sweet spot of sharp focus surrounded by beautiful blur. With apertures from f/2.8-16 and a minimum focus distance of 22 inches, the Sweet 80 will be available either with the Composer Pro 2 or as an interchangeable optic for any of the previous optic swap system lenses.

Selective focus is my favorite way to make photos, I love to create a small area in focus and blur the rest of the image, drawing the viewer's attention to just one part of my subject. The first thing I noticed while shooting with this optic was the wonderful fall off to blur created by the compression of the longer focal length.  The blending of colors and shapes is beautiful! 

Here are some photos I made this weekend with the Sweet 80, the 80mm focal length of the optic is awesome!  The weather was very foggy in my area, with lovely diffused light. My son caught a blue lobster last week (one-in-two-million odds!), so I photographed that as well as flowers. I used f/4.

When you want to get closer with the Sweet 80,  you pull out the front of the Optic. This close-focus feature allows you to focus from 22" from the front of the lens to your subject.

Be sure to push that close focus element back in when you want to focus at a longer distance away. Here are some examples with and without using the closer focus feature, all at the minimum focus distance of the optic:

I also tried adding a +2 macro diopter to get even closer to my subjects:

And since I love to shoot wide open with my Lensbabies, I shot some at f/2.8 for max blur too!

This new optic definitely has a place in my camera bag, and I'll be reaching for it when I want more background compression than the other two Sweet optics can provide.  Being able to bring the background in closer will make this optic very useful for the way I like to shoot.

Thank you, Lensbaby, for continuing to produce new and innovative ways that allow me to show the world the way that I see it!

Happy Shooting!
Kathleen

2018 Workshop Dates

Hi all,

I hope you have all been doing lots of shooting! Here in Maine, flower season is in full swing, and that makes me very happy! Here is my new favorite photo, shot with my Lensbaby Sweet 50 and macro diopters:

I have been getting lots of requests for my 2018 location workshop dates, and I am happy to announce them here.  The April Longwood Gardens workshop is already full, but we are keeping a waiting list:

Flower Dance Workshop with Donna Eaton, Charleston in Bloom, Charleston, SC March 19-22, $995.

Flower Dance Workshop with Donna Eaton, Springtime at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA April 16-19, $995 NOTE: Workshop is full, waiting list available, kathleenclemons@me.com

Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Santa Fe, NM: Fine Art Flower Photography, May 21-24

Fine Art Flower Photography On Madeline Island, Madeline Island School of the Arts June 11-15, 2018

Flower Dance Workshop with Donna Eaton, September at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA September 4-7, $995.

Flower Dance Workshop with Donna Eaton, Early Autumn on the Coast of Maine, Harpswell, Maine, September 27-30, $995.

E-mail me if you are interested in reserving a space, kathleenclemons@me.com.

Also wanted to mention some new items I have been using.  When I am shooting and want to travel super light, I grab my Lens Flipper and can attach 2 lenses and leave my camera bag at home. It's light and secure and I don't have to worry about losing lens caps. My 10% discount at http://lensflipper.com is kclemons.

I am also enjoying using my custom flash drives from usbmemorydirect.com. I had a bunch printed with my logo, they work well and are large enough not to get lost easily, I definitely recommend them.

Happy Shooting!

Kathleen

Lensbaby Velvet 56 or 85?

                                        Choices, choices...

I've been getting lots of questions about the new Lensbaby Velvet 85, and many of them have to do with the difference between the Velvet 56 and the new model. Some people want to know which to choose, while others who already own the Velvet 56 want to know if there is enough of a difference to add the 85 to their lens collections.

Though you can get in close with both models, and that wonderful Velvet etherial look is produced with both lenses, the main difference I see in my work is to the backgrounds. The longer focal length of the Velvet 85 provides compression. That means it reduces the distance between subjects and backgrounds, pulling the background closer, at the same time providing more blur to it too.  I am really loving this effect when I include a background, and more and more I am reaching for the Velvet 85 when I used to use my 180mm lens.

Here are some sample images, same subject with both lenses:

                                                                    Velvet 56, f/4

                                                                    Velvet 85, f/4

                                                                   Velvet 56, f/4

                                                                    Velvet 85, f/4

As you can see, the Velvet 85 provides more background simplification and blur.  It was also nice not having to get in as close with that longer lens, the bees were loving these Poppies! That extra space also comes in handy when I want more space to use a diffuser or reflector.

                                                                      Velvet 56, f/4

                                                                      Velvet 85, f/4

I tried some indoor shots as well, using a huge Dahlia from my garden and a printed background texture.  I could not capture the whole flower with the Velvet 56 without also including the edges of my 11" x 17" background. The compression provided by the Velvet 85 helped to bring that background forward and I was easily able to fill the frame without issue.

                                                                       Velvet 56, f/5.6

                                                                    Velvet 85, f/5.6

So, which do I recommend?  I see the choice in a similar way to choosing the Lensbaby Sweet 35 or Sweet 50. Lens choice will depend on your subject, what you want to include in the frame, how close you can get to that subject and what you have to work with in the background. As with the Sweet 35 and 50, both the Velvet 56 and 85 have a place in my camera bag.

Happy Shooting!
Kathleen

Lensbaby Velvet 85

                                                         Lensbaby Velvet 85 @ f/11

Today Lensbaby lenses unveiled their latest gem, the Velvet 85 f/1.8 lens. I was lucky enough to test the lens over the last few months, and I fell in love with it.  Though the focal length is wonderful for portraits, this lens is also excellent for macro work, with a minimum focus distance of  9.5 inches.  This lens takes the magic provided by the Velvet 56 to another level. The longer focal length provides compression and the resulting background bokeh is just gorgeous, more blur to love! The lens is available for pre-order and will start shipping early next month.

I made a video with my test images, you can view it here:  Lensbaby Velvet 85 video

Happy Shooting!
Kathleen