Joseph Stanton's Portraits with the New Petzval 55 mm f/1.7 MKII Art Lens

Joseph Stanton is a 23-year-old photographer who runs a studio in Glossop, Derbyshire, UK. He mainly shoots documentary and street photography but also enjoys portraits. When the New Petzval 55 mm f/1.7 MKII Art Lens was released he took the plunge and invested in one. In this article, Joseph shares his experiences shooting portraits with this lens.

"Honestly, it was the Bokeh effect from the get-go! The swirly goodness just sells itself. You can make some truly unique photographs with this lens, and that is exactly what I want to achieve for myself and my clients. The lens itself looks great and the fact that they had a Sony e mount sold it for me," shared Joseph.

"I have always wanted to own a Petzval lens and use one. However, I haven't had the resources to obtain an original Petzval lens or the camera and chemicals to go with it. When I saw the Lomography Petzval 55, I knew I had to get one. So that's what I did during the lockdown in the UK."

It's clear from these photos that Joseph has embraced the bokeh effect in his work as he shows the true effects of this lens, but was it an instant attraction, or did it take him a while to get used to it?

"The lens felt solid and well constructed, it really looks the part too! The fact it came with additional aperture slides made it even better. It allows you to be more creative from the get-go. It's been really great so far. I have nothing but good things to say. The fact you can change the amount of swirl you want on the Bokeh, the aperture slides to create different bokeh shapes which are incredibly practical, as well as the sharpness when focusing on a subject are all fantastic. I especially love this lens for portraiture. It gives off a truly unique look that you can't replicate with any other modern-day lenses. I feel really pays homage to the original Petzval lens too, especially in a primarily digital age."

Due to world events, Joesph is currently in lockdown but is remaining positive. He's currently in the process of updating his website and is planning on releasing a zine documenting his lockdown experiences. To see more of Joseph's work visit his Instagram page stantography and look out for ongoing updates on his website.

2021-02-19 #people #bokeh #uk #portraits #petzval-55 #glossp #joseph-stanton