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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.”
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