Our first seasonal challenge is in the books. Thank you to all who participated and shared your images with us. Many of you used your Lens Ball but a few of you ventured into other areas. The behind the scenes or written explanation of how the challenge was approached is included where provided. This was a lot of fun. Our hope is that this will inspire you to participate in the next challenge and stretch your technical and creative muscle!
We start with the water refraction images.
First up is Lee Ann Mize. She created a fun water distortion with her Grandkids. Her settings were as follows. Canon EOS 6D, zoom lens 25-105mm... camera settings were F/4, ISO 640, SS 1/40 and focal length 40mm
Next photo comes from Sophie Hahn. She was able to capture rainbow colors in her water droplet. And that background is perfect. Her settings for this gorgeous water refraction are as follows: 105mm Macro lens with the settings ISO 100, f/11, 2.5 s.
The next two images were captured by Ann Robbins. She used water in a wine glass to create her refraction.
And lastly, Trish Pimentel created a beautiful image with water drops. She was able to really get a sharp focus in her droplets.
The next set of images are glass refractions.
First up is Dana Smith's image using a prism.
Next up is Larraine Formica's image using crystal with light refracted and reflected.
Lastly, Carolyn Jost captured refracted light through a glass onto the table.
The last set of images are the Lens Ball Images.
It is amazing that so many different approaches can lead to a variety of outcome using the same tool.
We'll start with Bec Darby. Her settings were ISO 3200, 50mm, f/5.0,1/60 sec White Balance: Tungsten.
Scrapbook paper reflected in a mirror, with the Lens Ball reflecting the words. Edited slightly in Lightroom to make a little bit lighter. She also flipped the image so the word LIFE stands out a bit more.
Don't you love the photo-bomber in the 2nd image?
Debra Penk captured two beautiful images. Both refraction photos were composed with a Lens Ball on a pedestal in front of wallpaper on Surface laptop/tablet in a darkened room. The first image was handheld at 1/00 sec, f1.4 ISO 1000 50mm prime lens. The second image was the same except f2.0 and ISO 1250. Both images were edited in Lightroom for increased exposure and clarity and On1 NoNoiseAI to get rid of slight noise.
Lyly Lê was able to capture this amazing image with her phone! Check out her behind the scenes set-up
Set up: Navy wallpaper on MacBook Pro, Blue foam sheet covering keyboard, Lensball
iPhone 14 Pro native camera using 3x lens in macro mode =ISO 320 | 78mm | -0.7 ev | f1.78 |1/40 sec
(She only set the exposure, everything else was set by the phone)
Lynda Geith used a photo she had taken on Sixth Ave. in NYC as her wallpaper. She placed her lens ball in front of her laptop. Taken with a Canon T7i with a 100mm f2.8 Macro lens. She also used a cyberpunk filter in Fotor for fun.
Check out this amazing phone image by Sue Raynor. The clarity is amazing. Check out her behind the scenes set-up
She used her iPhone 13. Set up in dark workspace in the basement, with one light on a stand, plus a hand held light that she could move around easily. She started with the phone on a tripod, but switched to handheld so she could position it easier, and then used a small portable light, placed off to the side, in a completely dark room.
Wide camera - 26mm f1.6; 12 mp; 4032x3024; ISO 500; 1/40s
The next 3 images were created by Larraine Formica. All unique and fun.
Next up is Sue Goewey. She captured a really sharp image!
Next is Yvonne Devereau with her inverted landscape
Laura Loney really captured that beautiful sky
Deb Murray's image is "electrifying"
Doug Smith captured 2 sunbursts in his image!
Mary Nero made use of a tree to capture this pretty scene and then inverted.
Jan Fisher kept it natural with her image of leaves.
And, finally, Trish Pimentel's sparkly image!
I hope you enjoyed these images as much as I did. This community is so creative and inspiring. It's fun to stretch ourselves, try new things, and broaden our creative and technical arsenals!