Floral Friday: Playing with Bokehs in the Garden

This week I decided the theme of my weekly garden update would be seen through my Petzval 85 Art Lens. This recent addition to our camera collection is based on a model lens made in 1840 by Joseph Petzval. This recreation of the original is made with Russian multi-coated glass and is made from brass. It resembles the early origins of photography's ethereal, swirly bokeh (the out of focus parts of the image). There's no automation here: there's a manual dial that you need to turn to focus the subject, which can be tricky. The lens really focuses you to slow down and really frame your photo.

Based on samples of portraits taken with this lens that I've shared with family and friends, people either seem to love the camera's effects ... or hate it. I definitely fall into the fan group.

There's a bit of a learning curve that goes along with this lens though. It's taken me a little while to get the hang of it, and different lighting conditions really show off the changeable plates with different shapes to create various bokehs. Yesterday I was in the garden working with the tear drop, star, butterfly and heart bokeh. I think you'll agree the results give the garden a magical flair this week!

All images can be clicked on to view larger. There are some duplicate images of the same plant to show off the camera's bokehs.