freelensing …

By on November 10, 2013

Free-lensing is a  technique where you use your camera with the  lens removed! This method of shooting you use your lens detached from the camera but still held very closely, by holding your lens up to the camera (instead of attaching it) allows you to create a tilt-shift effect in your photos. With a bit of practice, you can even learn how to selectively focus on one thing, while everything else becomes blurred!

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WHAT IS FREELENSING?

Photos taken with the lens detached from the camera but held in place and moved around to focus. This also lets extra light in sometimes causing light leaks and giving a vintage look and feel.

Freelensing can also:

  • Give extra bokeh by shrinking the area in focus
  • Allow for super macro shots
  • Produce ethereal lighting by allowing stray light to get in to the sensor
  • Make delicious light leaks
  • Create tilt-shift effects

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED

 

  • An Canera with removable lens
  • A Lens (I found 50mm on crop format works best)
  • Practice, practice, practice

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 Funky light leaks

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 on a lot of cameras  if your lens isn’t connected to your camera (this isn’t the case with Sony NEX cameras you can use M,A or P mode)
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. Also mirror-less with live view make it a lot easier)
4. Practice! Practice, practice.
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 Tips an Tricks  

Try focusing your lens to infinity it my be easier.

Just hold your lens close to the body, and then hinge it ever-so-slightly to the side. Peer through the viewfinder and you’ll see what’s going on: if you tilt to the right, the left side of the frame retains the most focus, and the same for tilting left, right, or down.

It’s easier if your camera has a “live view” so you can see what it looks like, but it’s not too much harder with the view finder.

Sony Alpha usera. In your camera’s menus, look for the “Release w/o Lens” option, and make sure it is enabled. You might also need to make something that will hold the aperture lever on the back of the lens in the open position

 

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This entry is filed under D.I.Y, Portrait Session and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

2 Responses to 'freelensing …'

  1. Thorsten says:
    January 25, 2014 at 20:43

    Tolle Idee und die Bilder sehen echt klasse aus. Muss ich bei Gelegenheit auch mal probieren

    Reply
    • Scott Lewis says:
      January 28, 2014 at 08:55

      Thanks… It works best with cameras that have a small register distance, Like the NEX, Nikon 1, Micro 4/3 etc

      Reply

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