Lens Effect Photography

In the spirit of this weeks photography giveaway, I thought it would be fun to share a photo trick that I've recently learned. It's very easy and the results are really fun! By adjusting the shutter speed on your DSLR camera and using a zoom lens, you can achieve this abstract spacey effect.

First choose an object to focus on. I found that trees worked really well because the sun shining between the leaves gave a more intense effect. Next you'll want to adjust the settings on your camera to slow down the shutter speed a little bit. I set my camera to the Shutter Priority Auto setting ("S" on your mode dial). Then since I was out in the daylight I set the ISO to 400. I found that setting the shutter speed at 15 worked for me, and since i was on the S mode, the aperture adjusted itself.

Zoom all the way in on the object you'll be focusing on and then hold the shutter button halfway down to focus the lens. Once you're focused, push the button down the rest of the way while simultaneously zooming all the way back out as your camera captures the photo. You could also try going from zoomed out to zoomed in.

Because your shutter speed is slowed down, your camera is taking a longer time to take your photo. Any movement that happens during this time will be reflected in your photo, so when you zoom in or out in the middle of the shot, that change will be captured.

If you want to have a little more fun with this effect, open your image in photoshop and play around with the saturation levels. Voila, instant abstract art!