Tilt-Shift portrait

[Galningen]

made myself a simple tilt-shift lens. it looks butt ugly, but it can produce some very nice effects. heres a portrait i took with it.

[Charles Hess]

I think you had success with your creation and will have some fun with it. Here, though, the location and amount of blur seriously takes away from the impact of the razor-sharp, clear eyes. Nice portrait straight, just OK as presented, IMO.

[GB1]

Hi Galningen

Blurring the background of a portrait is normally a good thing, but you have set the depth of field so shallow.. I think pretty much the whole face needs to be in focus to make an effective portrait. What you could do here is crop and only show the eyes - that would work with the existing photo.

GB

[MB1]

You can get the same effect with a little Vasoline on a filter and save yourself a lot of trouble.

[photophorous]

It looks like your tilt shift lens is working well, but I agree with others about this particular application. It's just a little strange to have half of the face out of focus, but I can see how you might be able to get some interesting effects with different applications. Do you mind telling us how you made it?

Thanks
Paul

[Galningen]

You can get the same effect with a little Vasoline on a filter and save yourself a lot of trouble.

you have no idea what a tilt shift lens can do, do you?

thanks for the critique, though i do not agree with it. i think the sharp eyes drag the veiwers eyes toward the eyes, and the blurred face help this.

if i cropped out the eyes, then the tilt shift wouldnt be neccecary, so why would i do that?

i made it out of an old 50mm (used the "mount" from it so i could attatch the lens to the camera) a bicycle tube and a 75mm schneider enlarger-lens.

[GB1]

you have no idea what a tilt shift lens can do, do you?

thanks for the critique, though i do not agree with it. i think the sharp eyes drag the veiwers eyes toward the eyes, and the blurred face help this.

if i cropped out the eyes, then the tilt shift wouldnt be neccecary, so why would i do that?

It depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Special effects are fine, but not at the expense of the rest of the photo. Your effect does force the viewer's attention to the eyes but the out-of-focus nose and mouth simply don't look very good (in my opinion).

Btw, I was suggesting that you crop IN the eyes.

This particular effect might be better if you shot from above, about 45 degrees down at him with him looking up. Shoot at wide-open aperature. You might be able to blur everything except his eyes, depending on the max aperature of your lens and the focal length ..

[livin4lax09]

I like this. A lot. I would just clean up the eyes though. How did you make this lens? I have almost always loved the lensbaby look.