I used to be so excited once I was not too long ago despatched two Lensbaby OMNI Filter kits — the Inventive Filter System and the Crystal Enlargement Pack. Each have change into an absolute must-have for me!
What are OMNI filters?
What are OMNI Filters you ask? They’re unimaginable shoot-through crystals which can be particularly engineered by Lensbaby to create superior in-camera results like flares, rainbows and bokeh. They’ve been designed to work along with your present lenses by attaching them to your lens.
How does that occur? Properly, they’ve a filter ring that screws straight onto your present lens. You may as well use considered one of their step-up/down rings to suit your lens’ filter thread measurement if wanted. Then you definately connect a number of Impact Wands to the magnetic mount, with or with out an arm.
I believe the magnetic arms are what make the OMNI system so unimaginable. They arrive in two sizes, brief or lengthy. They’re mini magnetic rods, if you’ll, that means that you can be utterly hands-free when utilizing the filters. You connect them proper to the Magnetic Mounts and are straightforward to regulate by simply sliding round a metallic monitor on the filter ring. Transfer, twist and rotate the Impact Wand to alter the way in which the sunshine impacts your picture.
With all this, OMNI presents management and repeatability with out altering your gear.
How I examined them
This was the primary time I used the OMNI Filter system. Since I shoot 90% of my work within the studio, I made a decision I used to be going to do a mock shoot utilizing my model head to see what sort of results every filter gave.
I had a large 6-by-6 foot softbox behind the model head with simply the modeling mild on and my Godox AD600Pro Witstro All-In-One Out of doors Flash. That had a magnificence dish on, at 1/sixteenth of its energy within the entrance of my model as my main mild. My settings had been the identical as I’d if I had been capturing an actual mannequin — f/8.0, 1/125s and ISO 400.
I instantly observed that every filter might create a number of results with only a small tweak to its placement. Not solely did I assault every filter to arms however I attempted hand-holding them as effectively to see what sort of results they might create at totally different distances from my lens. I beloved the whole lot that was occurring a lot that I arrange an actual shoot and created magic!
Photoshoot time
I did the very same setup as I did with the model, besides this time my backlight was set to flash in order that I might get that actually blown out excessive key, white background look.
It was undoubtedly nonetheless a studying course of. Some photographs had been a complete bust after which some had been pure magic, just like the picture beneath! Actually, I do not know the way it occurred. I simply saved attempting various things.
Then, I spotted midway by means of the photoshoot that since I used to be filling the body utterly with my mannequin’s face, at occasions I used to be solely getting the filter impact on half of my mannequin. I made a decision to attempt Lindsey Adler’s trick through the use of a triangular mirror round my lens and OMNI Filters to form of multiply the impact in-camera. It labored and turned out AMAZING!
Right here’s the factor — I couldn’t get the look once more. I attempted and received shut however after I had taken the picture I received so excited that I couldn’t keep in mind what I did or how I did it. However mark my phrases — will probably be performed once more!
Conclusion
If you wish to push your self technologically and creatively all on the identical time you want OMNI Filters in your life! It should open up an entire new world of prospects and will let you actually step outdoors of the field of images. You should purchase the Lensbaby OMNI Inventive Filter System for $99.95. For extra enjoyable, the OMNI Crystal Enlargement Pack is accessible for $49.95.
