PixelatedImage Blog

One of my self-generated assignments in Ladakh was simply to play. I take myself too seriously at times, so seriously, apparently, that I have to force myself to play. So I played – the way I did when I first fell in love with photography. When it was more about learning to see and being creative than it was about “getting the shot.”  I used my Lensbaby a lot, gave it it’s first real workout. And I loved it. I felt young again, like there was no risk involved in just “seeing what it looks like.” Then I went to Nepal and my Lensbaby got used in some much more practical kinds of ways, shooting former child soldiers and child-labourers to selectively de-focus their faces due to identity senstivities.

And I came home a rabid fan of this great toy/tool. So much so that I called them up and begged them to join the ranks of my illustrious sponsors. It wasn’t pretty, folks. Hands and knees, crocodile tears, puppy eyes, the whole thing. At the same time they were releasing a whole new line of products, some of which I got my hands on this week.

So while trying to avoid this becoming an infomercial, I wanted to say three things.

1. If you haven’t seen the new Lensbabies, you should take a moment to look at the whole new line. It’s fantastic. The new Composer rocks, and with the Optic Swap system, specifically the double glass lens, it takes this whole concept to a new level. If you didn’t like the Lensbaby before because it was hard to use or fiddly, the Composer is sweet. Anyone with hand problems or dexterity challenges will be thrilled to finally be able to use this thing. And it’s really gorgeous – well made, smooth, sharp. Doesn’t feel like the plastic toy it once was. Lensbaby has grown up. (Composer pictured below)

2. The accessories are fantastic – macro lenses, wide and tele adaptors, a creative aperture kit…lots of options and that means lots of play.

3. The Lensbaby makes photography fun again, it ignites creativity – and that’s a commodity that’s hard to come by. If you don’t have the budget for a new toy like this, the new lenses will no doubt push the old ones out of closets and onto eBay or Craigslist. Grab a used Lensbaby 2.0 and fall in love with photography all over again.

I’m not sure I’ll ever use even the bulk of the creative tools in the new line-up, but the Composer and the macro, wide, and tele kits – I don’t see myself ever traveling without them. As one reader mentioned recently, for someone who pushes the Gear is Good, Vision is Better mantra, I talk about gear a lot. That’s true. I still contend that photography is about heart and vision, not gear. But the right gear makes it easier to put that heart and vision into a photograph. The Lensbaby is just a piece of gear, but for the way it makes photography fun again, and for it’s practical uses, I’m a big fan.

Anyways, I’m in danger of belaboring the point, so check out the Lensbaby line-up HERE.

Lensbaby has also come on board as sponsors of the Lumen Dei workshop in Ladakh and will be supplying us with enough demo lenses for all participants to play with them for two weeks.