free your lens – freelensing in action
i represent my perception as a normal muscle that i should train from time to time. i find that different photography exercises and experiments can do this work very well for me. a few weeks ago when i read some article about the “Petzval lens” i remembered the “freelensing” – very interesting technique that everyone can try and implement with his existing gear.
for freelensing i love to use Asahi fully manual 50mm f/1.4 M42 Bayonet lens. M42 bayonet is the most suitable for freelensing because of suitable distance between the rear glass and sensor of the camera, which allows to find and capture very sharp focused fields. the secret is to not attach the lens to the body of camera, but to hold it in hand very close to the front of the sensor. the effect is stunning, the leaks of light are violate all laws of classical photography, the vignetting is natural and there is no software that able to recreate it. the only problem is the dust that will welcome to enjoy the sensor of the camera. i’m looking for some interesting idea how it’s possible to use some transparent (i still love to have the light leaks) flexible tube with goal to attach them both – lens and camera body.
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superb!! I have only recently discovered and tried freelensing… your images are an inspiration to try it out again and more often 🙂
amazing images in your portfolio!!……….
Thank you very much Alexandra for taking a look. I looking for the way to close safely the censor when freelensing. This dust is such killer.
I keep studying the Freelensing!!! I AM GOING TO GET THIS RIGHT ! I love every photo you posted using this technique! I guess I keep saying it because I do not know if you receive my messages from WP. I think I have about gotten it worked out ! Thank you very much for informing me of my post today reblogging that great photo of Dorothy’s . I have taken a million photos and uploaded some last night after my new Apple Yosemite upgrade is all set ! It has made working with my photos so much better! I am still not editing except a crop here or there. I am trying to keep everything my clean eye. Thank you also for reminding me of EverydayAperture blog . I had been forgetting to read and learn from it too!!! I am such a pest . I get so excited and to pesky . Please forgive me. I get excited and forget the unprofessional behaviors we must maintain on G +!in order to use the site . If I am to post and learn I must follow these rules too. I understand very much now. I did not understand all of this before. You are a patient man and teacher. Even LENA as wonderful as she is may be tired of her impatient student ! I am forever grateful . I will be shooting work men from Mexico that are replacing our roof today and tomorrow . I may post on Trillian ‘s blog !!
I have to admit that I haven´t heard about freelensing before….I know these kind of “dreamy” pictures, but I didn´t know that it is called freelensing and how to do it….your photos are really nice and it´s a good motivation for me to try it :)…but my question is…what about that dust? did you find some way to close the censor safely?
i will write in post if i’ll find solution to safe a lens against the dust.
Very nice images here. I had never heard of this before. Thank you
Thank you very much ! Its very interesting technique but be careful with a dust
Thanks and if I try this I will be sure to be careful
Good luck !
Absolutely spectacular!!
Thank you very much. This is one of my fav projects.
The results are stunning. What a fantastic project idea.
Beautiful results, I love the focus and the light leaks! May have to give this a try.
Thank you and good luck !!
that’s pretty cool, will have to try this sometime!
Just be careful ! Thank you and good luck
Fabulous shots Victor! Great use of the classic 50mm f/1.4 Pentax M42 mount lens! I got one too and always felt this lens has “character” which you clearly show in these pictures.
Thank you Sam.These days I’m working on comtinuation of this project and it’s a big ispiration to play with the wocused distance.
Very nice freelensing pictures. I did some experiments with it too but indoor or outdoor when there was absolutely no wind.
I teally understand you. Also trying to be carefull when using this technique! Thank you
https://bpvst.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/freelensing-art-photography/
https://bpvst.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/foto-tongen-freelensing/
Beautiful slideshow !
Really interesting! I’ll follw your work… 🙂
Thank you Marco ?
Maybe freelensing on a film camera would solve the problems of dust which is so much more easily dealt with in an SLR. But no immediate feedback to see how it is working.
Absolutely right. An ability to see the results immediately is the huge aspect of digital in this sample 😉
Perhaps you could use something like a translucent surgical glove, cut off the fingers for a tube, and tape one end to the outside of the camera and the other around the base of the lens? It would let through quite a lot of light, though it would not win any beauty contests!
With an adapter for the lens you could keep it attached firmly while not taking photos, though perhaps a Takumar M42 50/1.4 lens adapted onto a bayonet mount would work better as they lack the flange that sticks into the camera.
I have adapter and use it sometimes but results are absolutely regular shoots. So these leaks of light and manually managed focused distance and selection is the most important and i dont want to miss them as price of sure using. So i just will continue with a dust ,-)
Hi everybody, your pictures have been a nice surprise for me! I love this kind of imaging.
Long time ago, in the past century, I bought the camera I actually use, a Hasselblad 500CM, but I only bought the body, no money enought to buy lenses, and I couldn’t wait to release and shoot with my wonderfull new camera, so I make a pinhole with the body. The pictures I got are the same kind, and you have made me to remember those beginnings. Your pictures are Awesome!
Wow ! Thank you very much for this wonderful story. I have to try this just very difficult to find any reference about exposure time for this kind of pinhole ! Can you help me ?
Nice you like it!
It’s was in the analogic age. Try&error. So the first I did was some shots with different exposure times and wait for film processed to see the correct time. The same for different light conditions. I suppose with digital gear you don’t have to wait.
This is the Hasselblad pinhole, make with aluminium film blob:https://wordpress.com/02581de3-f614-4015-8d64-1082a42d248a
Yes you’re right – digital is much faster for learnings but thank you for this link – i will check it will try to learn in hard core way 😉
I’ve been thinking about a “scientific” approach to control exposure, so, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45, 64, 90, 128, 180, 256… are diaphragms. You only need wich one your pinhole has. For that, measure light with a hand photometer and shoot starting with time exposures matching f, from 90 at least, f128 the next, 180, 256… this way you hnow f of the pinhole and fotometer will show you time exposure for any light conditions.
Smaller the hole is, more sharpness you get.
thank you for this awesome explain. i’ll try this when i will have some free time for experiments !
https://photofactumblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/img_20160924_164505.jpg
You know I love this article 😉 Freelensing is pretty much all I do. I love the beach photos, and that very last shot is stunning. I can’t wait to take my camera to the beach. The last time I was down in Florida, I hadn’t yet discovered the awesome that is freelensing. What I really love about it is the light leaks, as you mentioned, but also the fact that you can catch almost every droplet in the air when it rains (or when there’s a sprinkler around) and every single flake of snow that’s falling. But I think the dreamy blur it creates is what keeps me detaching every time I bring my camera along (even when I swear that I won’t detach).
Someone asked earlier about getting dust in the sensor, from what I’ve been reading there really is no way to fully protect the sensor from dust. If you want to freelens safely, they always suggest using a lensbaby.
I want a 50mm so bad. I hear it’s the best to freelens with, though I have seen people use a 75mm.
Hey Lena ! Huge thank you for taking a look and such detailed comment. I love freelensing and ready to shoot everything in this way only. But youre right about the dust plus if you will go to shoot near the sea, be careful because of tiny water drops when there is a wind from the sea. And these drops are much dangerous then dust. All the works in these posts are taken with 50mm lens but last week i purchased 28mm M42 Asahi and will shoot this way but more wider in focal terms. Lets see how many light and flares i will enter with ;-))
For me 75 is a little bit long but also interesting to try even i thing that wide open lens should bring very strong optical distortions ! Thank you again
Some really lovely results! I’ll dig out my unused lenses and dSLR!
Great idea ! Thank you and good luck !
Beautiful imagery!
thank you Susan !
These are so beautiful!
thank you ! i have to return back to this project. just worry about the dust that can enter (and probably already did) the sensor’s surface.
Well, well, you live and learn!
I have not been aware of this technique and since these weird days of covid-19 I think it a great time to give it a go. I have been exercising my creative muscles too in the recent months so this looks like something I will try and fit in. Great images Victor, as always.
Hey John. Thank you for the kind words. I used this technique a lot during all 2020. Somehow felt in love again and my Rocoh GR was broken and i returned to.the 5dmkll as my digital camera.
Will happy see your works. Good luck.
Sorry to hear about the GR but every cloud has a silver lining it seems. The lack of paying photography work over the last couple of years has meant me enjoying photography more, more film less digital in my case. Keep up the good work
i really understand you. I’m using my film cameras every single day. Always have one of them with me ;-).