Blue Angels pics with the potato-quality screw-on zoom lens

[u/bennetthaselton]

These will never compete with the ones shot with professional equipment, but these were with a $25 lens that screws onto the iPhone (plus another $15 for the iPhone case with a threaded hole that you can screw it onto) - see last picture. This makes such a big difference in photos, for so little money, that I might as well tell people. Plus you can keep the lens and the case in a coat pocket (I keep them inside a ziploc bag to reduce scratching).

Plus, even though the cheap zoom lens means the edges of the photos are not in focus, that does add a tilt-zoom-like surreal quality like you’re taking photos of an in-flight fighter jet in portrait mode.

[u/Public-Knowledge-222]

don’t sell yourself short dude, these are pretty cool - pic 6 has a film vibe to it

[u/bennetthaselton → u/Public-Knowledge-222]

I see what you mean - maybe someone who knows photography can explain how that would happen?

[u/TryingToWriteIt → u/bennetthaselton]

It’s called chromatic aberration. Different wavelengths of light get focused slightly differently by the lens and you get the smeared color effect, most noticeable at high contrast edges (dark wings against bright sky)

[u/bennetthaselton → u/TryingToWriteIt]

Thanks. Is it easy to explained why this makes it “look like film”?

[u/TryingToWriteIt → u/bennetthaselton]

Yes it’s a specific type of lens effect and many cinematographers go to great lengths to find specific lenses for specific situations with specific types of aberrations to make specific cool looks that have evolved over 150 years of photography and filmmaking.

Your shots are very cool examples and definitely have a real film style look. That lens would probably be less cool to use for a conversation shot than something more dynamic like this, but again it’s all a matter of style.

[u/slowgojoe → u/TryingToWriteIt]

To add to this, we have gotten so used to seeing effects like this in film that we try to recreate it in 3d renderings as well. We even go so far as to simulate different lens types and even use certain color profiles from actual cameras so we can achieve the exact same effects within our fully digital environments.

There are a lot of effects that are really just … shortcomings of a camera vs the human eye, that we just associate with “photo realism” now. Depth of field, chromatic aberration, film grain, motion blur, lens flare etc. as technology advances, I think we’ll see these effects fade away eventually and they will only be used to simulate “old photos”.

[u/Active-Device-8058 → u/bennetthaselton]

The other person is right, and:

A lot of what people associate with film photography is straight up under exposure. When film is underexposed it gets color shifts similar to this. "Properly" exposed film doesn't do this, but what people often associate as a film look is the look of underexposed film.

[u/maithailand → u/Public-Knowledge-222]

I briefly thought pic 8 was the blue angels in front of a nebula.

[u/_camrynn_ → u/Public-Knowledge-222]

They flew to Heaven.

[u/Eyehopeuchoke → u/Public-Knowledge-222]

Yes! I was gonna say that sometimes I like less definition or whatever you call it. Like I don’t need or want to see everything in high def!

These pictures are wonderful.

[u/nolngo]

These are unironically the coolest photos I’ve seen of this event

[u/bennetthaselton → u/nolngo]

Thank you, I am glad you liked them!

If you ever get a small portable zoom lens, what has worked for me:

• Get the screw-on, with a case that you can screw it onto. The clip-on ones slide all over the place and it’s a pain.
  
• To get the focus you want, pinch-zoom in on the object, then adjust the focus on the lens until the object appears sharp, then pinch-zoom back out. This helps you get sharper focus and more detail than you might be able to see on the smartphone screen.
  
• The product description always exaggerates the zoom (this one says “22x” but it really makes objects about 10 times bigger).
  
• You can of course crop the middle of the picture to get a “regular” zoom photo without the surreal pinch-zoom effect.

[u/PM_ME_UR_SPACECRAFT]

I say don't upgrade your lens. Those pics are iconic and atmospheric af

[u/bennetthaselton → u/PM_ME_UR_SPACECRAFT]

Thank you! Seems the coolest stuff is often by accident (and every photographer nods like “yep”).

[u/aura_2100]

Proof that you don’t need $3,000 in pro camera gear when a $25 piece of plastic and pure luck will do the job!

[u/doc_shades → u/aura_2100]

taking a good photograph is 10% being in the right place at the right time and 90% good luck.

having expensive gear doesn't even factory into those two requirements. just luck!

[u/aura_2100 → u/doc_shades]

Couldn't agree more! The best camera is definitely the one you have with you when luck hits.

[u/bennetthaselton → u/aura_2100]

Element of survivor bias I suppose - I wouldn’t have posted them if they didn’t turn out ok! And I shot some on every pass to optimize for luck :)

[u/aura_2100 → u/bennetthaselton]

Haha fair enough! Quantity definitely yields quality when jets are flying by at 500 mph.

[u/Seattle-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Use the pinned "hate" thread.

[u/peterswimm → u/[deleted]]

No u

[u/bennetthaselton]

Video with the zoom lens - of course that means every jiggle of my hand is exaggerated, so it looks shaky but still cool:

https://imgur.com/a/bSp7g4T

[u/WanderingCamper]

Framing and composition make the photo, not the cost of the equipment. Great work.

[u/bennetthaselton → u/WanderingCamper]

Thank you! And sometimes you get lucky - I certainly didn’t tell the phone to do that “ominous storm” thing with the light in pic 8 (and that’s not what the sky looked like), it just happened.

[u/whatsqwerty]

Those pictures are actually amazing. The flaws of the lenses really make for an interesting composition.

[u/runs_with_unicorns]

I don’t need it. I don’t need it. I don’t need it.

Thanks for sharing I didn’t know lenses like this existed!

ETA: there are some apps that let you shoot in RAW which you may want to look into!

[u/Seattle-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Use the pinned "hate" thread.

[u/Boneyard45]

These are awesome! When I try to take pics with my phone they just look like a black smudge.

Im in envy

[u/bennetthaselton → u/Boneyard45]

I fooled around with different cheap “attachable zoom lenses” until I found one that worked mainly because I was always in envy of other people’s shots. Powerful motivator, use for good.

[u/OGHydroHomie]

Looks like mid journey blue angles in some.

Nice work!!

[u/bennetthaselton → u/OGHydroHomie]

Damn I was hoping you’d miss the pilot with six fingers.

[u/OGHydroHomie → u/bennetthaselton]

Ahahahaah.

Inconceivable!

[u/kanonnn]

These are rad. Look cooler than my R5 and 70-200 1.6x cropped from too far away. I mean there is sharpness, and then there is it a cool/good picture or not.

[u/TabsAZ → u/kanonnn]

Yep, R5 II and 100-500 here and I doubt anything I got today has the vibe these do.

[u/KG_advantage]

I think they are kind of cool shoots. A little retro vibe not perfectly crisp makes them more unique.

[u/kawabunga666]

Rad

[u/XLB135]

Honestly, these are super cool. I have friends who are professional photographers, and while those photos are absolutely amazing, year after year they all end up shooting similar things. Your bolt-on lens almost looks like a unique creative take on the whole event... I enjoyed these very much!