Lensbaby Unplugged Member of the Week
Interview with Petra
Q: What is your favorite shoot you've ever done?
A: I like to shoot normal and everyday situations, so I particularly like the shots with the Lensbaby lens. They show reality, but they don't show the harshness that can be in some situations. For example, I find the photo with the cemetery very melancholic and dreamy. In my opinion, reality, i.e. death, is not portrayed so harshly. I like the way of photographing differently and I have the feeling that I can put more emotion into the pictures.
Q: What inspires you to reach for your camera? How often do you reach for your camera?
Q: What are your favorite Lensbaby Lenses to use in your session?
A: I'm always testing some lenses. But I really like the Sweet 50 in the street, the some with the Sol 45. For my flowers and portraits I prefer actually the Velvet lenses and I hope I can reach the Edge lenses soon. With the Sweet and the Sol lens it is so easy to deconstruct buildings and landscapes, also people when it is not possibly to show them clearly. Effectively I used the Velvet 85 in town and I'm starting to love the glow on the buildings too, but... how I said... I' testing and on my way.
Q: How did you hear about Lensbaby, and what encouraged you to purchase a LB lens?
A: While reading a trade journal, I became aware of a field of flowers that was strangely depicted. I wanted that too and so I came across the Lensbabys while searching the internet. I wanted to take a different approach to photography without a lot of photo editing.
Q:What was your journey to becoming a photographer like?
A: In 2016 I bought a Sony Alpha 600 and started photography. At first I photographed a lot of things until I realized that I wanted to educate myself and specialize. So I took online courses on the internet and learned so much about photography.
Q: What is your favorite subject to photograph and how would you describe your photography style?
A: I love photographing flowers and getting very close to the subject. Almost macro photography, but not always. I also like to photograph "life" on the street, there are situations and opportunities, but I don't really dare to approach people yet. That's why it has so far remained with many architectural photographs. I was particularly impressed by the architectural style of the 1960-1970 years (Brutalism), which, however, is very difficult to represent.
Q: What do you love the most about photography?
A: I like the calm, the balance that this creates for me. I think the manual setting, which is unavoidable with the Lensbabys, is great, because after a few shots it trains the eye for the essentials.
Q: What helps you when you're struggling with a creative block?
A: I talk to my girlfriends. We are 5 photographers who have founded a website and also prepare online vernissages there. I would very much like to provide the link to ithttps://fotofrauen.de/We advise each other and are honest with each other. That helps me a lot in the jungle of photography.
Q: Would you consider yourself an adventurous photographer, or do you tend to stay in your comfort zone?
A: I wouldn't call myself adventurous, but I always have an idea of what I want to do next. The list of ideas is long, but I often don't have the time. I take photos at home as well as in nature, on vacation and also stop my car when I see something special. When I'm on the train, I write down what I've seen and where it might be worth going back and taking a photo.
Q: What else would you like to see from Lensbaby in the future?
A: I'm in the middle of discovering different lenses that I've already bought and I'm really excited. What I would wish for is a lot more time to try everything. So: for the moment I am happy with my lenses.