Get creative with lensball photography.

What is lensball photography?

Lensball photography is a creative photography technique that uses a glass ball to take an inverted image. The lensball acts as an external lens that approximates the look of a fish-eye lens with distorted edges and a panoramic angle of view. “As the light passes through from one side to the other, it inverts your image and distorts it, which gives you a different perspective,” says photographer Kevin Vierra.

This technique is also sometimes referred to as crystal ball photography, although most lensballs are made of glass. Keep this handy photography accessory in your camera bag to effortlessly transform all kinds of scenes.

Refraction explained.

Refraction occurs when light bends as it passes through an object of denser mass. The image you see when you look through a lensball is upside down because that’s how a spherical shape bends light. The same phenomenon happens with DSLR lenses due to their structure of concave and convex spherical elements. Whether you know it or not, you’ve probably already done refraction photography.

Pick the right lensball size for you.

Which lensball size you pick depends on personal preference, but keep in mind that smaller lensballs are lighter and easier to handle and transport, so they’re more beginner friendly. A larger lensball makes for a larger scene, but the tradeoff is that you can’t hold it in your hand and photograph it at the same time. Three common sizes are 60 mm, 80 mm and 100 mm, which are small, medium and large, respectively. Sizes outside of these range from marble-sized all the way to melon-sized. An 80 mm lensball is the happy medium for many professional photographers.

Leaded glass, unleaded glass and quartz crystal are the three major categories of lensball materials. Photographer Virginia Chase uses a lensball made of K9 crystal, which is popular for its balance of high-quality, clarity and low cost.

When and where to use your lensball.

There’s no right or wrong way to compose your lensball photo. “You can be zoomed in and up close to the lensball or you can zoom out for the whole picture,” says Chase. “Every angle in between is acceptable. It just depends on your preference and what you’re trying to convey. How much of the scene do you want to include? Do you want the viewer to see the background? Do you want more of a bokeh effect?”

“I do a lot of night photography and cityscapes,” says Vierra. “The lensball makes the colours in neon lights and water reflections pop. But I’ve seen people use it for landscape photography and creative portraits.”

“I like nature photography and wildlife shots,” adds Chase. “But the possibilities are endless. You can photograph anything through a lensball. It comes down to what interests you.”

How to set up your lensball.

You’ve got options when it comes to how you position your lensball.

Handhold it.

Simply hold the ball in front of you. This is the most obvious option, but it’s not the easiest. You’ll have to manually focus at a shallow depth of field with one hand while balancing the ball in the other.

Get an assistant.

Borrow a friend to be your hand model. “It’s hard to focus your camera while you’re holding the ball,” says Vierra. “So if you have somebody that can be your hand model, it’ll be a lot easier.”

Use a lensball stand.

A lensball stand is a great option to keep your glass steady and safe. Some models screw onto the top of your tripod, while others are made of glass that you can set on a flat surface.

Make your own stand.

Finally, you can use your surroundings to get creative with your placement. One of Vierra’s most memorable shots was taken with the lensball in an ice cream cone refracting a Ferris wheel. “I’ve set mine on a rock or a stone wall, in a tree, in the sand on the beach,” adds Chase. “There’s really no set spot to put your lens.”