Photographing architecture with a Lensbaby lens has long been on my creative to-do list. I’ve most often seen them used in nature and portrait photography and have loved the dreamy look they create. I think I first noticed them and their effect in macro flower photography thanks to Anne Belmont. If you aren’t familiar with her work, run to check her out, she creates gorgeous images.

So, what do these lenses do? Well, I guess they remind me of the flaws in homemade cameras like pinhole cameras, where there are light leaks and a lack of focus. They create dreamy, ethereal perspectives with soft focus, edge distortions, bokeh effects, etc.

I haven’t seen them used for architecture much. So, I’ve been wanting to play around and see what kind of results I can come up with. On the second day of my LA workshop, I decided to shoot exclusively with their Velvet 85mm lens (huge thanks to one of my attendees for letting me borrow it for the day!). It was definitely fun to limit myself in this way. I noticed shots that were less focused on smaller areas of architecture and showed slightly more context seemed to work best or, at least, showed the effect of this lens better.

I’m on the fence as to whether I can create something different enough from my usual architectural images but I think I might take the leap and buy this lens and explore what the possibilities are. I’ve been stuck in a creative rut for far too long and sometimes it really is a matter of an equipment change to spark something new. Will it lead to something amazing? Who knows? And, honestly, who really cares? Isn’t the fun of creating in trying new things, seeing what does and doesn’t work, and just generally playing?

Here are the shots I liked best from my day of experimentation.

First up, The Walt Disney Concert Hall. I did both color and black-and-white edits but prefer the color versions here. I like the contrast between soft blues and golden hues. But, I will share both and let you decide what you like for yourself. In this first shot, you see a wider perspective.

I only made one shot inside that I ended up liking. The colors don’t match the exteriors so much so, I think, as a series, for cohesion, I’d pick black & white.

Now, for B&W. Working our way backwards.

Onto, the neighboring Broad Museum. Here, I only made shots inside the museum. All but one, I edited only in B&W.

The rest of the shots were in Culver City. And, most were made at The Wrapper Building. Of course, both color and B&W. There’s something about the buildings here that have this dystopian vibe, especially The Wrapper. Heavy on the concrete and disorganized design. Whether color or B&W, there’s a very monochromatic, subdued hue.

Just one shot of Samitaur. The rusty color of the structure against the blue sky made the color version the preferred choice.

And, finally, The Waffle Building. The vibrant orange is hard to pass up but there’s also something about the patterns of the B&W that’s intriguing.

There you have what I’ve created so far. Would love to hear your thoughts. The 85mm is somewhat limiting in its fixed focal length but, I also love constraints so if I get a Lensbaby I will start with this and explore from there.