Thursday, March 28, 2019

Reviewing Crystal Photography Ball

candle through lensball photo by mbgphoto

For Christmas, I received a Crystal Photography Ball.  These balls have become quite popular with photographers and  I was anxious to get one and try it out.  The great thing about these balls is that they are a fun way to try different techniques with your photography no matter what type of camera you use.  When I got mine for Christmas my  nephew tried it out with his iPhone with wonderful results.  So whether you use a DSLR, a mirrorless camera, a point and shoot or even a camera phone try out a photography ball to add some new interest to your photos.

Taking Photos with a Crystal Photography Ball

I have found that it takes a bit of practice to get used to shooting with the photography ball, but with a bit of practice you can get some interesting shots.
yellow daffodil through lensball photo by mbgphoto

Here are a few tips that may  help you.

  • Try using a wide angle lens and get close to the ball.
  • For landscapes you may want to try a zoom lens.
  • Be sure to focus on the image in the ball
  • Be careful not to use the ball too long in bright sunlight...you could get burned from the reflection.
  • Take care to keep your  ball free of fingerprints.  Bring a cleaning cloth with you.
  • There are lots of tutorials on You Tube.  Take a look at a few to get additional ideas.



Editing Photos

One of the first things you will notice when  you look at the photos you have taken is that the image in the ball is upside down.  There are several things you can do in editing to correct this.

  • The easiest solution is to simply flip the entire image as you can see I have done in this image.  This works particularly well when the background is blurry and you have lights in the background.  Here is one of my first photos with the photography ball.
Christmas tree through lensball photo by mbgphoto

  • Another solution would be to add a textured background to the photo.  I did that in the photo at the beginning of this post, where I added a fire background to the candle in the ball.
  • A third solution is to flip just the ball in Photoshop or a similar program.  I have not quite mastered that technique yet, but you can find lots of videos on YouTube to take you through that process.


Some of My Favorite Crystal Ball Images

Here are a few more images I have taken with my crystal ball. These are some that I took while on a trip to Jupiter, Florida.  I still have a lot to learn, but I love the challenge.
ocean through lensball photo by mbgphoto

beach grass through lensball photo by mbgphoto

lighthouse through lensball photo by mbgphoto


Purchasing a Photography Ball

A crystal photography ball can be rather inexpensive.  Here is one like the one I have with a clear stand and a pouch to keep it.



Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


5 comments:

  1. Really pretty pictures Mary Beth! I especially like the lighthouse in the photography ball. I added the photography ball to my wishlist last summer, but have yet to get one myself. I'm glad now that I can read your tips beforehand. They will help me be better prepared for what to expect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to using it with spring flowers.

      Delete
  2. Hey Mary Beth, I was just thinking that when you are not using it for photography, you could set it out as a crystal ball. I'm just kidding of course, but the crystal ball tells me that you will be taking great and interesting pictures for us all to enjoy. I'm pleased to see that it is not that expensive too. Maybe in my future.

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  3. Glad to have a description of what a crystal photography ball actually is and how it works. I've seen several of the terrific photos you have taken with yours online and wondered how it was done. Thanks, Mary Beth.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh wow, Mary, I've been seeing your ball photos but had no idea it was an actual ball. I thought it was some sort of lens or photo app. I'm even more impressed about your photos now. Lining up the actual ball with your subject can't be as easy as just sitting the ball down anywhere. I'm so interested now. I'm going to look up some of those youtube videos.

    ReplyDelete

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