In this module, we’ll discuss still life photography with the lensball. It’s a fascinating area you can experiment within the comfort of your home since you don’t need any high-end equipment for this type of photography.
We’ll cover the following topics:
Section 1: How to take still life photos with the lensball (2:56)
Interior photo-shoot gives you total control of your background setup. You could set up your choice of a neutral plain background, for example, striped gift-wrap paper. The advantage is you no longer need to worry about the refracted inverted image.
To achieve an infinity curve, line-up your background so it curves from the flat surface onto the wall. The line between the flat surface and wall should not be visible inside the frame.
Experiment with lighting and watch out for reflections on the surface of the lensball.
The light strobe will be to the side of your lensball in the same plane of the focus. The strobe should light the background only without causing any reflections on the ball’s surface.
Section 2: How refraction works for still-life photography (5:52)
You can use two different colored papers in the background and place the ball in the centre of the line. You’ll see the image inside the ball from left to right. You can also have the refracted image horizontally or diagonally.
You can use different backgrounds to add more variety, for example, a picture, a national flag, or polka-dotted paper.
The Equipment Used and Camera Settings (7:29)
Following are the equipment used for still photography:
Following are the camera settings:
Section 3: Still Life lighting with a strobe (10:56)
Keep the light strobe to the side of your lensball to avoid any reflection from the lensball surface. Light the background behind the ball and bounce the light through the ball.
Avoid bouncing-off the ceiling or using a light-box. These options might be good for the majority of still life photography but with lensball you don’t want any reflection from the lensball surface.
Section 4: Still life without a Strobe (12:53)
If you don’t have lighting equipment such as a strobe or radio trigger/receiver, you can opt for other alternatives such as a torch or your Smartphone flashlight to achieve great results.
Keep your camera raw since the white balance generated by the torch or Smartphone flashlight might affect your photograph. You may need to adjust that in post-processing.
Follow these steps:
Section 5: Adding Concepts to Your Still Life Image (15:27)
Adding a concept to your still life is fairly easy. You can add an object in the frame behind the lensball which will refract inside the ball and then sharpen the object within the sphere.
Choose objects which are fairly small in size and can hide behind the ball. Let’s say your concept is “listening” or “music” then you can use small headphones. These types of images in combination with the background chosen are endless.
Follow these steps:
You can vary the concepts such as flower, petals, or food-item like sushi. Depending on your chosen subject, your photo can have a different message.
Section 6: The Equipment Used for Light Painting (18:45)
Following are the equipment you can use for light painting:
Equipment Set-up for Light Painting with the Lensball (22:54)
Follow these steps:
Section 7: Light Painting with the Lensball (25:40)
With light painting, you can create stunning lights patterns in the background as well as inside the ball. Following are the ways to do light painting with different light sources:
1.) With fairy light:
2.) Smartphone Screen Light:
3.) Smartphone Torch:
Thanks for your attention during this 5th module. I hope the creative ideas you learned in this module will help you create stunning still life photography with your lensball.