Free Lensing | Charlotte Wedding Photographer

The talk that I give to my clients each time I go to do this cracks me up a little. I remember having a bride’s family member call me after seeing a free-lensed shot I did of her, and they said everything was blurry. I was confused at first until I saw exactly which photo it was, and then attempting to explain why it’s supposed to be that way was kind of difficult! So now I explain exactly what I’m doing before doing this to each client so they know to expect this look in a few of their photos.

So, what is free lensing? It’s actually where you take the lens, preferably a 50mm or lower (and a fixed lens!), and pop it off the camera. You then hold the lens back up to where it attaches without actually attaching it, and you can either look through the view finder or on the screen to see exactly what’s in focus and what isn’t in focus while moving the lens in different directions to get different focal points. The key is to make sure your lens is set to infinity. I’ve also played with a Nikon, and realized that for some reason this is a very difficult task because you end up seeing a ring from the lens in the image.

Want to see examples done at real sessions? These are times where it’s not a key moment, such as a first kiss or a first look. I choose to do this when there is some wiggle room in time to ensure I have what I need without these shots, but these images definitely enhance the dreamy and romantic vibe in my opinion! I love using this technique to shoot details at boudoir sessions, a couple during a romantic moment, or just when I think the lighting  and time might be perfect for it. Enjoy!

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