The Lensball Photography Handbook

3 reviews for The Lensball Photography Handbook

1. 

   Gloria January 13, 2022

   The author is both imaginative and a good writer, which makes this book indispensable if you’re going to shoot with a lens ball. This book promises to be fun and useful. I have a lens ball but have not learned to use it yet so I look forward to reading this manual. For starters, I did not know it was called refraction photography!

   I appreciate that Lei tells us right up front how and why to choose a particular lens to use with the lens ball. Saves us from a lot of trial and error and he does a thorough and totally understandable job of explaining the options to us. His section on color-matching is great, too. I don’t think I would have foreseen this issue when using two images to create a lens ball photo. I also appreciate that the author uses his actual color photos to demonstrate what he’s talking about.

   I especially enjoyed and learned a lot from Lei’s chapter on how to capture the essence of a city with lens ball photography. Superb examples and thorough explanation of how to achieve them.

   The author, toward the end of this well done manual, includes a section on post-processing of your lens ball photos. I especially enjoyed his explanation of how to “turn your world upside down“. And who, these days, wouldn’t want to know how to use a lens ball to create a unique and audience-pleasing selfie?

   The author also gives useful explanations of the use of light with shooting through a lens ball, and a very good piece on composition. This is more than I would have thought I would get in a how-to book on lens ball photography. I am very happy with it and look forward to some novel images to share with my friends.

2. 

   jefforns April 14, 2022

   The Lensball Photography Handbook
   I have always experimented with my photography and one application I have not yet tried is the use of the Lensball. Wow! I have been missing lot of great images. Since most of my work is with nature and landscapes this new artform will be really special in my photography.

   The author, Marvin Lei, has a wonderful style of writing and is really technical with this apparatus. His explanations of the science and accompanying lenses, the use of color and composition along with the magnificent photos that accompany each article explain it all. His explanations of the post processing of Lensball image are well worth reading as it will save a lot of time.

   I would recommend this book for any photographer’s library. I ordered my lensball last night!

3. 

   wepsphoto December 16, 2022

   This book, along with a lensball, would be the perfect gift for the creative photographer seeking new challenges.

   The Lensball Photography Handbook explores the art and science of shooting with the lensball. Clearly written by a professional but clearly for anyone familiar with basic camera operations, the book walks you through basics of exposure, focus, composition, lighting and even post-processing with both general information but then focused specificity of shooting the lensball. Beautifully illustrated with the author’s own images (including set up, shooting, out-of-camera and retouched examples), this is a superb step-by-step introduction to a new way of seeing, shooting and processing the world.

   Lei’s chapter on composition is probably the most concise I’ve read in any photography book, and though he is referencing the lensball throughout, the ideas and compositional suggestions apply to all photography. Not only is the Lightroom overlay collection illustrated, but Lei explains the theory behind visualizing photos with each overlay in mind. The result is a better sense of when each overlay is best utilized.

   Another fantastic chapter explains a brief, easy-to-follow Lightroom post-processing workflow. And if you don’t catch it before he calls your attention to it, many of his photos feature the subject in the lensball right-side-up rather than the upside-down orientation that will be captured when shooting. Another simple, step-by-step lesson, this time in Photoshop, empowers even the most novice Photoshop user to flip the lensball’s image 180 degrees.

   Finally, unlike many photo books, this one requires that you have a camera and a lensball- that’s it. You’re not discouraged by a list of additional peripherals needed to shoot lensball photography; indeed, the only additional items he discusses are a lensball case, cleaning wipes, and a mini tripod. Refreshing from those GAS-inducing books that abound.

   In a nutshell, an easy read, a creative challenge, and the introduction to yet another way of shooting your world.