On 11/20/2020 11:53 AM, Wayne Shumaker wrote:
Moose, keep them coming. Abstract, impressionistic I enjoy.
Thanks!
Keep 'em coming? How about 80 photos? Taken with everything from cell phones to my latest, Gx9 and A7 II
<https://photos.app.goo.gl/eiWp74sY3sVdXhfT8>
Various Lenbabies, Canon 50/1.2, Sankor 135/2.8, SIMA SF 100/2, CCTV 25/1.4, Nikon Soft filters, waterglass, regular
lenses, pinhole, bigger than pinhole glassless, and whatever I've forgotten.
All are actual photos. 😁
Not a fan of Lensbaby - due to an experience long ago...
I've been happy with them. When I bought a refurbished Control Freak that didn't work properly, service was quick and
free. I have a lot (waaay too many) and think them well thought out and well performing for their specialized uses.
Their first couple were pretty limited. Next, they came up with the idea of lenses separate from lens holders - Optic
Swap System. The first few of those were limited, all 50/2, with various focus characteristics. They use a waterhouse
stop system, little discs that are held in place magnetically. Clever, but slow and fussy, esp. keeping track of all the
discs. Up side is the "sink strainer" discs in a couple of configurations. It didn't take much play with these to see
that the star bokeh was not generally to my taste. Saved my trying other such designs.
The latest offerings mostly cluster around four types of focus and all include
aperture diaphragms. Pretty good stuff.
I found this article interesting to create similar dreamy effect from the
Dyotar 180mm soft focus lens:
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4033718
Anyone want to try adding some wire mesh to the back of a lens? Conceiveably
one could put a wire screen, cut to fit, in an OM to E mount adapter.
The "problem" (depending on artistic intent) with wire mesh, the "sink strainer" aperture plates in many old soft focus
lenses, filters with cross hairs, little lens droplets, and so on, is that they all show up, one way or another, in bokeh.
In addition to the LensBabies, have a few other intentional Soft Focus lenses:
LensBaby Velvet 28/2.5+
LensBaby Velvet 56/1.6
Holga 60/8.0
Minolta Varisoft 85/2.8
SIMA Soft Focus 100/2.0
Spiratone Portragon 100/4.0
Another half dozen or so are interestingly soft at wider apertures because they are very early fast designs and/or early
third tier brands.
Why so much overlap? Because they all render differently from each other.
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/tech/Lenses/Soft%20Focus/100mmSFlenses.htm>
A lot of companies have made SF lenses at one time or another. Guess who hasn't? Nikon. Why? Because their chief lens
designer was not happy with their prototypes. He was striving to duplicate the look of old LF glass, soft edges combined
with good DoF.
And guess what? That's the thing with all the above lenses, you have to choose your balance between central focus,
overall soft/glow, swirl, etc. and DoF. Can't have soft AND deep DoF.
His solution was to develop special soft focus filters. They are like nothing else I've tried. The full story is here.
<https://archive.fo/ICZOA>
Some comparisons with a soft focus lens.
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/tech/Lenses/Camom_LenB_NikonSofts/NikonSoft.htm>
Orton effect film technique of combining out of focus + sharp images or low +
high F stop images.
https://visualwilderness.com/fieldwork/soft-sharp-camera-multiple-exposure-technique
There are PS tutorials on how to create the effect, but I believe doing it with
lenses and multiple images will offer more and better impressionistic effects.
https://www.naturettl.com/create-impressionistic-images-using-multiple-exposures/
I don't like either extreme. Shooting multiple exposures in-camera can certainly work. But it requires incredible luck
or supernatural abilities or lots and lots of practice in the details of technique. As a highly eclectic photographer,
I'm not interested in spending that sort of time - if the desired result may be achieved without it.
I also agree that creating such effects in PS is possible, but most often less
effective than photos.
So why not go in between? Take shots at the multiple settings that may be useful, then combine them in PS.This photo
shows use of three different apertures, combined in PS for the look I was shooting for, and how I did it.
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/tech/SIMA/HydraMix.htm>
I believe that all the effects in the above two links would be more easily and
reliably achieved that way.
Some interesting techniques here.
https://www.daylighted.com/blog/impressionistic-photography/
Interesting, and I like a couple quite a lot. As above, they take multiple
shots, then mix/merge them in PS.
Softly Long Winded Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
--
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