I used a cheap tilt-shift lens to capture this bokeh-filled holiday season photograph

Tutorials
By
published

The Lensbaby Spark 2.0 is an affordable tilt-shift-style lens that enables you to capture wacky photos with intense discs of bokeh

Image of Santa in a plane decoration on a Christmas tree with large discs of bokeh, captured with a Lensbaby Spark 2.0
The Lensbaby Spark 2.0's tilt-shift effect and wide f/2.5 aperture allows you to create wild bokeh (Image credit: Future)

I have a feeling that Santa will have delivered his fair share of Lensbaby Spark 2.0 lenses this Christmas. If you don't want to spend out on the best tilt-shift lenses, the Spark 2.0 offers a much cheaper alternative and is a great stocking stuffer for photographers – or gift under the tree – priced below 150 bucks in the US and UK, and about 250 in Australia.

This little tilt-shift-style lens is manual focus only, and features a flexible bellows-like design. You squeeze the lens in and out to adjust your focus, while tilting and rotating the optic moves the position of its sweet spot. Its aperture range is f/2.5 to f/22 and the included Lensbaby Sweet 50 (50mm) optic can be swapped out and replaced by any of the brand’s 15 Optic Swap glass modules.

I used the F-mount variant on my Nikon D800, but those with the best mirrorless cameras will be pleased to know that the Spark 2.0 is available in a variety of mirrorless mounts, too. If you’re on a tight budget, the original Spark is available for well under 100 bucks and if that’s still too much, I'll also show you how to create a thrifty tilt-shift effect using the 'freelensing' technique below.

The Lensbaby Spark rewards creativity and its ability to produce ethereal images can be used to produce stunning close-ups, portraits, abstracts, and more. However, I was keen to take advantage of the vibrant colors and bright lights of my Christmas tree and prove that you can be super creative even when stuck indoors during the holiday period.

How I used a Lensbaby Spark 2.0 to capture the holidays

The more interesting the decoration the better, like my cool flying Santa! (Image credit: Future)

1. Find a cool holiday-themed decoration

Choose a suitable Christmas decoration for your subject. I used an ornament of Santa in an airplane to complement the Lensbaby Spark 2.0’s ability to warp images. The directional blur would then make it look like my subject was zooming through the frame.

The holiday season is a great time to capture bokeh-filled backgrounds, since lights are everywhere you look! (Image credit: Future)

2. Place it on or in front of your Christmas tree

Place the decoration on your Christmas tree, and make sure it’s surrounded by fairy lights and reflective objects such as baubles. If your tree doesn’t fill the whole frame, place some more lights in the background to occupy the negative space for some really intense bokeh.

The Lensbaby Spark 2.0 features an old-fashioned aperture ring (Image credit: Future)

3. Get to grips with the Lensbaby Spark's aperture ring

I recommend using Aperture Priority or Manual mode. The aperture ring on the Sweet 50 enables you to cycle from f/2.5 to f/22. I shot at f/2.5 for the most intense bokeh but, if you’re still getting to grips with the Spark 2.0’s quirky focusing system, a narrower aperture will be more forgiving.

It can take a little while to get to grips with the Lensbaby Spark 2.0's rather unique method of manually focusing (Image credit: Future)

4. Focus using the Spark's bellows

Focus the Spark 2.0 by squeezing the bellows inwards and slowly releasing them while keeping the lens straight. I refined my focus by gradually moving the lens closer or further from the subject, too. Once your point of focus is sharp, tilt the lens to move the sweet spot around the frame.

Be aware that 'freelensing' will leave your sensor exposed, so don't try this method if you're worried about getting dust in your camera (Image credit: Future)

5. Try 'freelensing'

If you don’t have a Lensbaby Spark you can have fun creating tilt-shift-style images using the 'freelensing' technique. This works by detaching your lens and holding it in front of the camera’s mount. You move the lens backwards and forwards to focus, before tilting it to alter the focal plane. Do be careful. This will make it easier for dust or other particles to settle on your camera's sensor.

'Freelense' with an optic that has an aperture ring, so you can keep the aperture wide open (Image credit: Future)

6. Why an aperture ring works best

Shooting wide open isn’t a problem if your lens has an aperture ring. Otherwise, look to see if it has a small lever that can be pulled back to open the aperture. Try to keep the lens as close to the mount as possible to help prevent light leaks – you can also use your hand to block the gap. Finally, be mindful of your exposed sensor; don’t shoot in dusty conditions!

Quick tip!

Focusing with the Lensbaby Spark 2.0 does take getting used to. I recommend playing around with the manual tilt-shift lens for a while to get to grips with its moving sweet spot and bellows-like design before embarking on a specific project.

You might also like...

Want to try out a more conventional holiday-themed project? Learn how to shoot festive bokeh-filled close-ups using your Christmas tree.

And if you've ever wished you could capture intense bokeh with a wide-angle, did you know you can big up background blur in your photo portraits using the Brenizer bokeh-rama effect?

See more Photo Technique Tutorials
Mike Harris
Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...