*Blue Len*
Cyanotype Printing on SunPrint Paper
This Lensbaby portrait of my friend Leonard has a really cool, laid back feel to it, and I like the translation onto cyanotype as well. Again, I find that Lensbaby portraits and Cyanotype work well together.
*The Smirk*
Canon A2 + Lensbaby + Rollei RPX100
Model: Lilly
The thing I really love about film shot with a Lensbaby is the way the grain breaks down the more blurry the picture gets. This one is a really good example of that, with the edges of the shoulders not only blurred, but fuzzy. Also, Lilly’s smirk is priceless.
*Is it rain?*
Canon A2 + Lensbaby + Rollei RPX100
Model: Lia
Lia’s hat made me think of rain, so we had the idea for this composition. I love the way her eyes look at the « sky » or rather the ceiling of the studio.
*Mrs P.I.*
Canon A2 + Lensbaby + Rollei RPX100
Model: Patricia
This series of shot was largely unplanned, I just told the models to bring whatever accessories they liked. Patricia’s hat gave her a very « noir » look, hence the title. I like how one eye is in shadow and one in light on this one although to be fair I had a ton of spill light from the background lights, so luck rather than design.
*Out of Cinecittà*
Canon A2 + Lensbaby + Rollei RPX100
Model: Lia
Lia is Italian, but when I took this shot I was not particularly aiming for something Italian looking. And yet when I saw the results, it struck me how this evokes Italy in the 60s to me. Maybe Lia’s inherent Italianness just shines through!
*Wistful*
Canon A2 + Lensbaby + Rollei RPX 100
Model : Lilly
I did a studio session last week. The primary goal was to experiment with more silly double exposure ideas, but while I had these beautiful models along I thought I might as well do something fun as well, so I got out the old Lensbaby and shot a roll of portraits on Rollei RPX 100, a film I hadn’t tried before. It was rather less contrasty than expected, but that’s easily fixed in post. I love the delicate side of this particular shot, so that’s what we’re opening the week with.
Monsieur Loyal
Canon A2, Lensbaby, Ilford FP4+
In French circus fiction (is that a thing?) the ringmaster is often called Monsieur Loyal (Mister Faithful). Apparently, like many such things, the name derives from Anselme-Pierre Loyal (1753-1826) who was a famous ringmaster and circus manager. The top hat and the moustache are part of the trademark look, and Thomas here has the former, and the lensbaby makes his goatee half blurred, which give the illusion of a moustache. Hence the name for the photo.
Me, myself and I
Canon A2, Lensbaby, Ilford FP4+
I don’t often shoot self-portraits, and when I do, it tends to be because I’m experimenting with something, lighting or framing. But this is technically not exactly a self-portrait although I planned and set it up, someone else framed and pressed the shutter. Still, I like the photo, so I’ll attribute half of the paternity to myself and show it nonetheless.
Dragon’s Breath
Canon A2, Lensbaby, Ilford FP4+
I hate the smell of smoke and of course the health implications of it (even for me as a passive smoker) but I have to confess that visually, it’s potentially spectacular and nearly always interesting. My friend Julian, the model on this photo, uses an e-cigarette (so it smells of flowers instead of burnt tobacco) that produces these beautiful white clouds. When I was about to shoot I asked him to blow it out of his nose and I absolutely adore the results. This is my best shot of the summer.
Spectacled Hipster
Canon A2, Lensbaby, Ilford FP4+
One of the amazing things with the Lensbaby, especially for portraits is this impression of a motion blur where there is no motion. I think it works particularly well on this portrait of Manu, who seems more dynamic than the scene really was (though not the guy, he’s dynamic as all hell!)
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