FREELENSING: A retrospective of my freelensing journey | Personal Work | Cambridgeshire Photographer
I was looking at the calendar the other day and it suddenly occurred to me that it was a little more than a year ago since I had begun seriously doing freelensing (yay!).
A Year of Freelensing
If you haven’t been following my freelensing journey or you are wondering what freelensing is about, then you should read this entry I wrote on my blog last summer HERE. It showcases some of the first freelensed images I took during a month-long photography project delving into freelensing. I also detailed what camera I used and how I adapted my lens, and mindset, in order to enable me to freelens.
What got me seriously hooked onto freelensing though was joining a group of photography friends to challenge ourselves for a month to spend every day doing freelensing. I had talked about the value of doing a personal photography project before, in terms of experimenting new techniques and creativity. But finding a partner-in-crime or your own tribe, who could share the same interest or goals as you, is so invaluable for keeping each other motivated and accountable when it comes to doing a photography project or learning a new skill, such as freelensing.
Freelensing is not the easiest camera technique to get right. If there is a right or wrong at all.
In my Freelensing / Freelensing 31 article, I had said at the beginning that one thing I learnt with freelensing is the object of letting go. A year on, I would also add perseverance too.
The Point of Letting Go
I have had a few photography friends who have dabbled in freelensing (with the lens un-attached from the body of the camera) ask me how I create my freelensed photographs. Or what I imagine they really want to know is how they can get it right every time.
You cannot get it right every time or indeed even straight away, like some magic you can create as soon as you pick up the camera. So many times I had looked through my camera viewfinder thinking I had got the slice of focus where I wanted and captured the vision in my image, only to see on the back of the screen or back at home on the computer that it hadn’t landed right where I had intended.
That’s ok. I’ve learnt the point of freelensing is about letting go of perfection and persevering until the little adjustments I make with the lens becomes more intuitive.
Freelensing is not about creating a sharp image or even a blurry photograph. It’s about taking a very literal image and elevating the image into something else; creating moods and feel to a photograph. During freelensing, I find I slow down more which helps me to observe my environment and feel the moment.
I realise the above description could be applied to a lot of photographic techniques. I am concentrating on just freelensing here, because I know it can be frustrating to see if you are doing it right when you first discover this wonderful camera technique. I am not into fad or photography trends that could quickly make photographs look out-dated one day. On the other hand, freelensing is gaining popularity in the photography world and I love the painted quality it adds to my photographs, like that of the Impressionist painters.
Freelensing Life
Below is a slideshow of images I have selected from some themed freelensing challenges (#freelensinglife) I have been doing throughout the course of this year over on my Instagram account with some other photographers. I have not previously shared these images to my blog, as they did not fit within the narrative-theme that I normally contribute for the Free 52 project. However, doing the Free 52 project and #freelensinglife together, has given me the confidence to explore freelensing further. It has spilled over into other photography work I undertake, which includes using freelensing in my self-portraiture.
To follow this month’s blog circle to our Free 52 project group, go now to my beautiful friend Julie Godbolt and follow along to see what some of these talented freelensing artists have been creating in September.