While most of my work here focuses on Victorian photo methods, I also do film and digital photography. One of my favorite things to do is adapt old “vintage” lenses to my digital cameras. Old lenses are technically inferior to modern lenses, they “flare” in bright light and have aberrations and distortions that show up in the image. Sharpness and resolution are issues. So why use them? Because they lenses produce beautiful and interesting images! The images have character and the “flaws” add ambiance…
Nataly and I went out on a not-so-cold December afternoon to make some portraits with vintage lenses. Our goal was to explore the flaws and see how we could use them to creative benefit. The first lens we used was my 1960’s vintage Helios 44-2. Helios 44 lenses were produced in the Soviet Union from 1958 until 1999. A huge number of them were produced and the design was a copy of the technically better Boitar 2 lens. But the flaws in the Helios ended up as fascinating swirls and light flares in the image under certain circumstances.
The Helios can also give misty effects that make for a dreamy portrait!
You can see more of Natalie’s work on my wedding photography site at “Fiery Portrait”
Nataly has also posed for wet plate portraits Riverside Tintypes with Nataly
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