First Impressions of the Neptune Convertible Art Lens: Amy Davies

Cardiff-based freelance photographer Amy Davies recently wrote a review about the Neptune Convertible Art Lens system for PhotographyBlog. We chatted to her about her experience with this lens set and she shared some pictures of Lola, her adorable mini Dachshund.

Name: Amy Davies
Location: Cardiff, UK
Profession: Freelance Photographer / Journalist
Website/Social Media links: Instagram: amydavies , Twitter: amydavies

Other interests aside from photography:
Dogs, pizza, travel

Hello! Tell us a bit about your photography background.

I've been working professionally in the photographic industry for almost 10 years now (wow, that feels crazy now that I've written it down!) I studied journalism at Cardiff University, but always had a strong interest in photography. After Uni finished in 2009, I got a job working on a photography website over in Bath. I worked at that same company for five years (on different brands) before going freelance almost four years ago now, in 2014. In the main, I write about photography - it can vary from interviewing photographers, writing about technique to getting to test different cameras and lenses. Not going to lie - it's an incredibly privileged position to be able to "play" with all this new equipment and earn a living from it. I like lots of different photographic subjects, but I especially love travel and portraiture. Oh, and of course, taking pictures of my dog - my constant muse - she even has her own Instagram account, which obviously has way more followers than I do. (@lolatheminidachshund)

How did you find it using the Neptune Convertible Art Lenses?

It was a lot of fun using the Neptune lenses! Of course, most lenses these days are autofocus, so being restricted to manual focus is a little different. For me, it forces me to pay more attention to the subject, and really think about composition, rather than just taking a quick snap and moving on. For me, this meant that my pictures were more considered, perhaps more "arty" than I would normally take, and definitely more creative. I also had a lot of fun with the different aperture plates, discovering which ones worked in which situation was really interesting - and I found that some of the plates were particularly effective when used in a more "subtle" way than the more obvious effects you get when shooting in front of fairy lights for example (although I really liked those too!) My favourite lens was probably the 50mm f/2.8 lens - I found it to be sharpest, and I also just really like that classic focal length.

What did you choose to shoot?

I shot a variety of things, including landscapes, flowers/plants, and of course, my dog. I'd like to try using the lenses on some portraiture in the future, as I think they would be fantastic for that - particularly with the different aperture plates.

Any pointers that one should keep in mind when using the Neptune Convertible Art Lenses?

Try not to take your photography too seriously when using them - these lenses are there to have fun with and experiment with. They're not like any other lenses that you'll probably use with your DSLR, so don't be frustrated if you don't immediately get what you want from them. Also, Live View can be a saviour if you're trying to photograph something and want to make sure you get the focus pin sharp!

For Amy's full review of this lens visit PhotographyBlog or visit her website amydaviesblog.com

2018-02-06 #people #uk-london #convertible #neptune-lens #amy-davis