How to Photograph With a Lensball

What do you photograph with a glass ball?

A lensball is, in simple terms, ‘a glass ball’. Once you have one, it becomes a new addition to your world as a photographer. Make sure it is always in your camera bag, because it is an accessory you can use in many situations. A glass ball helps you look at your surroundings differently. Upside down, straight through the ball, or by using the wide angle that the glass ball creates.

Choose your point of view for the photo

With glass ball photography, your point of view is very important. In most cases, you choose eye level. This means the lensball is at the same height as your lens, directly in front of it. If you choose to photograph the glass ball at an angle, the effect will not be nearly as good. To make it practical, place the ball somewhere or simply hold it in your hand. Now that you know how to position the lensball, it is time to look at what you can best do with the camera. Our recommendation is a tripod. This gives you that extra bit of certainty with minimal motion blur and good focus.

Inspiration for photographing with a lensball

You can actually do glass ball photography anywhere, in so many places and from different perspectives. To help you find your way in the world of glass ball photography, we are giving you a few ideas to get started.

• You can make the lensball stand out more when you create a minimalist composition.
• A great idea is to work with lots of colour, patterns and repetition. The glass ball makes this even more interesting.
• Be careful with this, but how cool is it to capture the glass ball in mid-air? Throw it up slightly, click at the right moment and you’ve got that picture!
• Take it with you when you are in the largest landscape in the Netherlands or somewhere else in the world. Capture the glass ball in the foreground or as part of the landscape. Experiment with this.
• When you are standing at an intersection, photograph straight upwards and see what it does to the image.
• A low point of view is something you often see in the world of photography. But when you add a glass ball, the photo gets a completely new dimension.
• One final bit of inspiration for now: place the lensball in a puddle and see what you can do with the reflection that appears.
  
  

How to photograph with a lensball

Now that we have gone through the first steps, it is time for a helping hand when photographing with a lensball.

How do you make a lensball stand out more?

At times, the lensball may not be clearly visible in photos. Do you want it to be? Then make sure the light falls properly on the glass ball. For example, pay attention when the light comes from the side or the back, as this creates a nice ‘rim light’ around the ball. This ensures that you can clearly see in the photo that a lensball has been used. If you want to hold the ball to show part of a city, make sure the light falls on your hand. Otherwise, it will not be clear to the viewer what is happening, which would of course be a real shame.

How do you get the right focus?

The glass ball

What you will notice is that your camera’s autofocus will struggle to focus on the glass ball. It is recommended to switch to manual focus. Are you choosing to capture the glass ball with your smartphone? Then tap the glass ball on the screen with your finger. This part will then become sharp.

The background

To make the background blurred and the glass ball sharp, you need to work with the aperture. Aperture is always indicated by an f-number. The lower the number, the smaller the area of focus. Choose a reasonably low number (for example, f/5.6) and focus on the glass ball to create the right depth of field.