Tash Jones, of Love Luella Photography, is a Welsh-Jamican wedding & lifestyle photographer based in North East Wales. She started her part-time photography journey in 2013 and took it fulltime in January 2018 once her children went to school full-time.
Tash is very vocal in general, but the past few months she has become much more present on social media advocating for diversity and inclusion in the wedding industry. She recently launched Let’s Talk with Tash where she has open and informal conversations to inspire growth and learning within the photography community and beyond. Her skills as a photographer are impeccable and clearly evident in her portfolio. One of the techniques that Tash utilises on almost every shoot is freelensing: in this case, the lens is detatched from the camera to create images with intensified depth-of-field. We caught up with Tash to chat about freelensing.
1. Freelensing allows you to create beautiful streaks of light, special tilt-shift effects or even outstanding macro shots. Which specific effect(s) do you like to achieve and for what kind of shots?
Freelensing for me gives a dream-like sense to my images and I love that. For me freelensing is mostly used in Wedding Prep and couple portraits, I’m a big lover of light so I look for light and shadow and use it to my advantage.
2. Are there any specific settings that one needs to pay attention to while using this method for producing such gorgeous blurry images?
I’m a self confessed technophobe (sorry to disappoint!). However, I do find I get the best results when my lens is set to infinity, using broken lenses is also popular but I don’t do that, yet! I do set my camera manually adjusting the F-Stop & exposure prior to taking off my lens to use.
3. Which lens(s) do you prefer for freelensing? And why?
35mm, I just love it – it’s my favourite. 99% of my freelensing images are taken with it, it’s my go-to in all situations. Occasionally I will use a 50 if it’s on camera at the time- but that’s rare. I’m a 35/85 on two bodies for my shoots and weddings.
4. What precautions do you take to keep your equipment from getting damaged? For instance, to avoid dust particles/moisture landing on the mirror and sensor.
I get my kit regularly serviced by a company based in Manchester, I used to do that quarterly before Covid-19 but I haven’t used my kit much lately! I also check for dust every once in a while and use a little device to blow it out.
5. Have you also ever used a Lensbaby or tilt-shift lens? If so, can you point out the pros and cons as well as the differences in the images created in relation to freelensing?
I have experimented with a tilt-shift lens and my friends use Lensbaby. I prefer freelensing because every image is different and that’s the beauty of it. I can see why the Lensbaby would be appealing if you need more control over the outcome – but for me freelensing always wins!
6. What is your approach when working with your couples to achieve the best results from freelensing?
I get up close! Right up in their bubble and I freelens quite fast now, they know my style – so they trust me to create images for them in line with the style they booked me for.
7. What other special techniques do you like using on your photoshoots?
I’m a sucker for anything I can find, no planning – just grabbing stuff. I’ve shot with a piece of a chandelier, prisms, fairy lights, plastic bags, my phone, in – camera double exposures, in fact this reminds me that I love to create so I may organise a shoot to express this soon!
8. What advice do you have for photographers who want to give freelensing a try?
DO IT! (If you like the style of course!!) now is the time whilst it’s sightly less busy for most of us to practice and experiment, whether that be on your children, your partners, your pets, flowers. Go create some magic!!
Interview by Aida & Tim
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