I used to be so excited once I was lately despatched two Lensbaby OMNI Filter kits — the Creative Filter System and the Crystal Expansion Pack. Each have grow to be 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 together with your current lenses by attaching them to your lens.
How does that occur? Properly, they’ve a filter ring that screws straight onto your current lens. You may also use certainly one of their step-up/down rings to suit your lens’ filter thread dimension 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 fully hands-free when utilizing the filters. You connect them proper to the Magnetic Mounts and are straightforward to regulate by simply sliding round a steel monitor on the filter ring. Transfer, twist and rotate the Impact Wand to vary the way in which the sunshine impacts your picture.
With all this, OMNI gives 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 an enormous 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 have been the identical as I might if I have been capturing an actual mannequin — f/8.0, 1/125s and ISO 400.
I instantly seen that every filter may 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 nicely to see what sort of results they might create at completely different distances from my lens. I liked the whole lot that was taking place 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 may get that basically blown out excessive key, white background look.
It was undoubtedly nonetheless a studying course of. Some photographs have been a complete bust after which some have been pure magic, just like the picture beneath! Actually, I do not know the way it occurred. I simply stored making an attempt various things.
Then, I noticed midway by way of the photoshoot that since I used to be filling the body fully 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 obtained shut however after I had taken the picture I obtained so excited that I couldn’t keep in mind what I did or how I did it. However mark my phrases — it is going to be executed once more!
Conclusion
If you wish to push your self technologically and creatively all on the similar time you want OMNI Filters in your life! It would open up a complete new world of prospects and can help you actually step exterior of the field of images. You should purchase the Lensbaby OMNI Creative Filter System for $99.95. For extra enjoyable, the OMNI Crystal Expansion Pack is available for $49.95.