Kerry GarrisonKerry Garrison » Products

Lensbaby Edge 80 Mini-Review

KerryG — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:59:09 +0000

I am a huge fan of the Lensbaby lenses and I have owned every model since the original version. Each iteration gets better and easier to use and delivers better quality images. When Lensbaby introduced the Optic Swap system, enabling different effects with the same platform, this was a serious game changer. In fact, in order to really see how far I could push the entire Lensbaby system, I shot an entire wedding with the Lensbaby system.

I really believe that the Sweet 35 and Edge 80 have taken the Lensbaby products from being a niche lens into being a professional quality tool.

The latest additions to the Lensbaby family include the Composer Pro, which is an improved version of the Composer offering better movement and locking control. The Sweet 35, which is the first Lensbaby optic with an adjustable aperture and 35mm focal length. The Edge 80 is an 80mm lens with adjustable aperture and built-in extension tube for closeup work.

While I will be doing a complete review of the new products very soon, I wanted to do a quick test and see how well these new optics stake up. Since I had a model at a camera show with me yesterday, I decided to bust out the Edge 80 and see how it would perform. The first thing you should know is that these are manual focus lenses, and this can certainly present a problem when using the small viewfinder and a large aperture. The image below was done at f/5.6 using the Edge 80. The camera settings were ISO 200 and 1/100th Shutter speed.

To really do this image justice, I have cropped into the left eye to show the level of detail. Keep in mind that this was taken at 1/100th and was shot handheld. and not on a tripod.

For being a handheld shot, on manual focus, using the viewfinder, I would say that is some really sharp detail there. To say that my first impressions are good would be quite an understatement. I really believe that the Sweet 35 and Edge 80 have taken the Lensbaby products from being a niche lens into being a professional quality tool. Stay tuned for a more complete review coming soon.

Professional Photobooks Offer an Alternative to Traditional Photo Albums

KerryG — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:57:16 +0000

Whether I’m shooting an outdoor wedding in an exclusive Orange County location, am working with a manufacturer to capture their products in the perfect light, or am volunteering my time to take family portraits at my local university’s Veteran’s Appreciation night, I’m always thinking about the finished product. After all, it’s the finished product that the client is interested inâ€”the prints they’ll be able to look at and share with others. For years, photographers have been able to offer our clients prints of various sizes, from portable wallet photos to larger 8 x 10 images suitable for framing and displaying. And having done professional photography for a number of years, it’s been fascinating to see how things have changed. As technology has continued to evolve, we’ve been able to offer our clients a wider variety of finished products to choose from.

One relatively recent addition to the photography market is professional photo books. I’ve found that professional photo books give my clients a really slick alternative to the traditional photo album. Photo books can be used to create a keepsake of your wedding day memories, share your daughter’s first year with her grandparents overseas, or even showcase your product offerings in a unique way.

Available in a variety of sizes, and with a choice of covers (including leather and linen), photobooks are an elegant, long-lasting alternative to traditional photo albums. I can also configure your photobook so it has a special image right on the cover, or can even have a custom imprint added, personalizing your photobook even more.

You can find more information on professional photo books over at Nations Photo Lab, one of my preferred labs for prints, photobooks, enlargements and other photo products. And of course, you can contact me if you have any questions about photobooks or you’re just ready to set up an appointment to discuss your photography needs.

Product Shoot for AC Delco

KerryG — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:03:13 +0000

I do really like doing product shots as they are never late, donâ€™t cry, donâ€™t have mothers trying to run the show, etc. As much as I like shooting weddings, I still like going back to my product roots and putting together a shoot for a client.Â In this case Powermax is launching a new line of AC Delco flashlights and worked with me on their product images. There was a few dozen in all, but these are a few of my favorite ones.

D-Link Photo Shoot

KerryG — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:48:52 +0000

If you didn’t know already, I got started in photography by doing product shoots and I still love doing it. Products don’t move, they aren’t late, they don’t get emotional, drunk, or have meltdowns. This week I took some photos of some D-Link equipment for some video tutorials that will appear soon.Â This is my favorite shot.

To get this shot (all done in-camera), the product is sitting on 1/4″ thick plexiglass on top of white muslin. In the background, about three feet behind the product is white seamless paper. The large TD5 lights come in about about 45 degree angles to each side and above while the smaller TD3 was closer in to provide some specularity. The image was processed using the public beta of Adobe Lightroom 3.0.

Equipment Used

(2) Westcott SpiderLite TD-5′s
(1) Westcott SpiderLite TD-3
Canon EOS 50D
Adobe Lightroom 3.0 Beta