Lensbaby Ambassador

July 20, 2020 Carol Vipperman

Recently I was selected as a Lensbaby Ambassador! I am thrilled to be one of about 100 photographers from around the world who love Lensbaby lenses and the wonderful images they create. The Ambassador Program is brand new and the team at Lensbaby are currently working on ideas. As most of you know, I have been promoting Lensbaby for years in my blog and social media posts, but now I can receive a small commission on purchases made through my affiliate link. If you are inspired, check out their lenses or send me an email at carol(at)carolvipperman.com with your questions.

Since it is now the season for flowers, I have been searching for them on my daily walks. The images below were taken with a either a Lensbaby Velvet 28 or Velvet 85. Both of these lenses can be used for many purposes - from landscape to portrait to close-up photos. That is one of the reasons that I love taking images with them. They bring a different perspective to each subject.

Thanks to Lensbaby for creating this program and selecting me as one of its ambassadors! I look forward to a fun, creative, and inspiring partnership. I love hearing from you, so comment below, post on my Facebook page, or send me an email at carol(at)carolvipperman.com.

If you would like to receive my blog posts, please send me your name and email. I would be happy to add you to my list of followers.

Being an Artist in Residence

April 26, 2020 Carol Vipperman

“On the bright side, I am no longer calling this shelter-in-place. I am now an artist-in-residence.” That is what someone posted on Facebook a few weeks ago. Although I laughed when I read it, I decided that it was a good way to see the situation. I am fortunate that I can work from home and am healthy, but the restriction of how much we can go outside has been tough at times. I decided to find ways to get creative inside my home, as well as when I go out for my walks.

Although I am primarily a natural light photographer, I decided to buy a portable light box so I could capture images of flowers regardless of weather. I had to learn how to get the lighting and exposure right to not blow out the highlights. I continue to play with this and consider it a good option when I am stuck at home. I also enjoyed buying flowers and having them around.

Then after watching a video that Kathleen Clemons did on shooting flowers on a lightpad, I added one to the mix. Again, I found myself having to learn about exposure and light. Not all flowers worked, but I am still experimenting. Fortunately, there are many videos on You Tube with ideas on how to create interesting images.

But then on April 21st, Lensbaby announced a new lens - the Velvet 28! I was beyond excited. My first Lensbaby was a Velvet 56 that I use to capture flowers as well as take portraits and landscapes. I added the Velvet 85 some years ago and it has been my favorite Velvet until now. Although I have many different Lensbabies, this new lens is not going to be leaving my camera for some time. I can take an image just two inches away from a subject and since it is a wide-angle lens, I can also take landscape images! Shooting wide open creates a beautiful glow on the photo, but yet it can be stopped down to f22 for tack sharp images. It is perfect for walking around my neighborhood. The first morning out with the lens convinced me that this was a keeper. Take a look at some of my images below.

Wonderful clouds over Elliott Bay taken at f5.6.

My creative juices have been flowing since experimenting with my new tools. I like learning and growing my skills, so the lightbox, lightpad, and definitely the Velvet28 are helping me along. I love hearing from you, so comment below, post on my Facebook page, or send me an email at carol(at)carolvipperman.com.

If you would like to receive my blog posts, please send me your name and email. I would be happy to add you to my list of followers.

Celebrating and Exploring

March 1, 2020 Carol Vipperman

Last week today I celebrated my birthday by spending the day exploring the city with my still new to me Canon mirrorless EOSR camera and my Lensbaby Burnside35 lens. The weather cooperated (no rain), so I wandered through the Seattle Center, the downtown core, visited our impressive library, and ending the day in the Pike Place Market. It was a full day.

I started my walk from the top of Queen Anne with this view of the city from Kerry Park.

The sky was fantastic looking through these solar sculptures at the Seattle Center.

After a quick two-minute ride on the Monorail I made my way to our fantastic library.

It is an architectural wonder both inside and out.

On my way to the Pike Place Market I came across the Hammering Man, a very tall sculpture in front of the Seattle Art Museum.

The Pike Place Market and the famous flying fish stand.

Plenty of fruit and vegetables among many other things.

I stopped for lunch at Maximilien’s for some great food and a wonderful view. (taken with my iPhone)

On my way to the Great Gum Wall of Seattle I encountered some interesting art.

The gum alley is both disgusting and a fun place to capture images.

Finally, I made my way back to the Seattle Center in time to catch a few photos of the International Fountain.

I had a great day celebrating my birthday and capturing some interesting images. I ended up walking 9 3/4 miles by the time I got home. Needless to say, I was tired, but happy. I love hearing from you, so comment below, post on my Facebook page, or send me an email at carol(at)carolvipperman.com.

If you would like to receive my blog posts please send me your name and email at carol(at)carolvipperman.com. I would be happy to add you to my list of followers.

Walking the Arboretum with two lenses

October 31, 2019 Carol Vipperman

We are quite fortunate to have many great parks in Seattle, but one of my favorites is the Arboretum located near the University and Lake Washington. Although it is always a wonderful place to walk, this time of year is special with all of the luscious fall colors. A week ago I took my Lensbaby Burnside 35 lens with me to capture some shots, and returned this past weekend with my Sol45. Here are some of my images of the same place but captured with two different lenses.

It was fun walking through the Arboretum a week apart and seeing how using two different lenses transforms the images I captured. Each of them told a different story, and it is one of the reasons I love Lensbaby lenses. I love hearing from you, so comment below, post on my Facebook page, or send me an email at carol(at)carolvipperman.com.

About Lensbaby Blog Circle: Once a month photographers from around the world post their Lensbaby photos and comments in a blog. Take a moment and read Birgit’s post. It is a great read and you can keep following the Lensbaby Blog Circle.

If you would like to receive my blog posts please send me your name and email at carol(at)carolvipperman.com. I would be happy to add you to my list of followers.

All Things Dahlias - A Workshop

September 30, 2019 Carol Vipperman

Last month I had an opportunity to participate in a four-hour workshop with Kathleen Clemons and Lensbaby at Swan Island Dahlia Farm in Oregon. Lensbaby filmed the workshop for a Lensbaby University course that will be aired later this fall. To make it even more interesting, we were challenged to use five Lensbaby lenses to capture images: a Velvet 56 or 85, the Sweet 50, Sol45, the Twist 60, and Burnside 35. Here are a few of my images from that workshop, which was terrific!

Velvet 85 - This is my go to lens when I think about taking images of flowers, so this was a familiar lens to start the workshop.

Composer Pro II Sweet 50 - Although I have many of the “sweets,” I haven’t used the Sweet 50 for a long time. Kathleen was determined to have me fall in love with this lens and she was successful!

Sol45 - I use this lens primarily for landscape shots, but with the addition of a +4 diopter filter, I was able to get close up to the flowers. I love the blur along the edges and in the background.

Twist 60 - I don’t often think of using the Twist for flowers, but it was fun to capture the background swirl with a focus on the main flower.

Burnside 35 - This is a very versatile lens. I use it on my walks to capture landscapes and other subjects, but because you can get up close and personal (6 inches) it is an excellent lens to use with flowers. I added a +2 diopter filter and that allowed me to get even closer.

Although it was only four hours, I learned so much from Kathleen’s coaching and from experimenting with the five lenses. I fell in love again with all of my other lenses, so that was a gift. Thanks Lensbaby and Kathleen for a great experience.

I love hearing from you, so comment below, post on my Facebook page, or send me an email at carol(at)carolvipperman.com.

About Lensbaby Blog Circle: Once a month photographers from around the world post their Lensbaby photos and comments in a blog. Take a moment and read Birgit’s post. It is a great read and you can keep following the Lensbaby Blog Circle.

If you would like to receive my blog posts please send me your name and email at carol(at)carolvipperman.com. I would be happy to add you to my list of followers.