I like to keep my camera with me for those unexpected, special shooting opportunities;
like when the light is so fantastic, you just can’t resist! This happened during a wonderful outdoor dinner during the
blue hour at a restaurant on the beach. Fortunately, I had my Nikon D850, Lensbaby Sweet 35, and my Platypod
Max with a Really Right Stuff BH-40 ball head. I was able to take advantage of the light (as unobtrusively as
possible) by placing my camera on the table for a few shots while the light was perfect. A tripod was obviously too
large...but I needed an extra-steady camera to get the low light shot. The Platypod allowed me to compose and shoot
with ease, while actually waiting for dinner. I loved the results, and decided to recreate the tabletop shots
at home, using the same concept with a creative background and a specialty lens.
For this shot I used my Nikon D850 and an interesting
interpretation of a vintage lens, the Lomography
Daguerreotype Achromat 64mm f2.9 art lens. Using a
wide aperture, focused on the subject, this lens can create
beautiful effects with out-of- focus points of light in the
background, much like the nifty 50mm lens. However,
the Achromat has a variety of interchangeable aperture
plates, including the heart shape that I used here. The
shot was equally as nice as with the round out-of-focus
effects from the string lights in the background, but it was
the heart shaped bokeh that well, stole my heart.
I tried a variety of lenses, from a Nikkor 50mm lens,
Lensbaby Sweet 35, and the Achromat. I wanted to create
something similar to my impromptu beach dinner shot with
a dramatic background. I decided to use the Achromat
because of the heart shapes in the background produced
by shooting at a wide aperture. The key to this type of shot
is for the subject to be relatively close to the lens, use a
wide aperture, and try varied distances to the background
to create the best bokeh. You can always try a few aperture
settings to see what works best for your subject.Experiment and you can try colored lights for a different
effect, and use almost any subject you choose. Place
the camera setup on a table covered in black velvet. In
the background hang a curtain of string lights, similar
to holiday lights, which are perfect to produce the
improvised bokeh effect and watch the magic happen.•Guess who is coming to Dinner...
Deborah Sandidge gets creative with Platypod®
in a romantic setting