Coco Alexander Brings the Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens to Iceland

NYC-based photographer Coco Alexander has a knack for creating amazing images with any kind of gear, and definitely did so again with the Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens. See photos from her travels to Iceland along with her first impressions of the lens in this interview.

Photos by Coco Alexander

Please tell us about your photography. How long have you been doing it? What is the pull of photography?

Shooting people is generally my focus. I picked up my first camera (disposable) to take to a concert when I was 12, was given my first 35mm at 15, but I would say I’ve been a “photographer" for about 10 years now. Connecting through the camera and stealing tiny pieces of souls is tremendously satisfying!

Photo by Coco Alexander

This lens has a fascinating history, so let’s play the association game. What came to mind when you first saw the Daguerreotype Art Lens? What is special about its build?

Right off the bat, it looks similar to the Petzval lens with the barrel design. I actually knew very little about the history of Daguerreotype so it was quite fun to jump back as a modern photographer and really immerse myself into the history of the first photographic process. What I love so much about its quality is the illusion of reality, almost as though your subject or focus is floating ever so slightly above the background.

Photos by Coco Alexander

What did you take pictures of? What camera did you use?

I really got to first use this lens In Iceland, on my Nikon D800. I knew it would be more of a portrait lens seeing as the focus is centered however, in the end, I enjoyed shooting landscapes equally.

Photos by Coco Alexander

Did the Daguerreotype Art Lens impart a special look to your photos? Tell us about your first photo session.

It definitely has a very distinct softness. My personal favorite is to shoot this lens a stop or so closed down. This minimizes the glow to a very subtle artistic choice yet retains the bokeh characteristics. With digital, image review gives you a pretty good idea what things will look like but with this lens you really have to wait to see it large to get the real (or surreal) picture. My first “shoot” was at Vik, the moody black sand beach of Iceland. The images translated the grey aura I saw first hand beautifully!

The lens is a continuation of Lomography’s experimental tradition. What special effects have you done using the lens?

I’ve used the shape aperture plates and they’re fun but I really just love shooting closed down a bit with movement in the image. In reality, this lens is a special effect so shooting it for what it is really is special enough.

In terms of your own photography needs, what is the best feature of the Daguerreotype Art Lens?

The softness can be so delicate, I could see myself using it more often for beauty portraits.

Why use a special lens at all?

Why not? So often photographers think crisp focus all around is a necessity, but I think specialty lenses help open the creative doors to a different view you wouldn’t get otherwise.

Let’s get technical. What tip would you give to a first-time user?

Start with trying different aperture plates and shoot a ton, changing things slightly. Not just the special shapes but simply closing down or opening the lens fully can give you drastically different results. The more you shoot the more you’ll find your style with it!


Check out more of CoCo’s work at her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

2016-05-06 #gear #ニュース #people #review #lomoamigo #daguerreotype #kickstarter #achromat #artlens #lomographyartlenses #daguerreotype-achromat-art-lens Katherine Phipps の記事

Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens

Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lensがあれば、シャープなイメージ、ソフトフォーカスの両方が一本のレンズで撮影できます!挿入する絞りプレートによってボケの発色、質感をコントロール可能。表現の可能性が無限大に広がる魔法のような一台です。

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