Let's Vlog with Rebecca Chan: Her Perspective and New Petzval 55 mm f/1.7 MKII Art Lens

What boys and girls see are sometimes very different, one could say that a female photographer probably has an innate perspective, so that every woman the photograph is portrayed as a shining and luminous individual. We invited Rebecca, a Hong Kong-based portrait and pre-wedding photographer who got her hand with the Petzval 55 mm f/1.7 MKII lens. She also shared a vlog on Youtube of her shooting experience with the Petzval 55. Let's read more about her story and impressions about the lens!

Please share your photography story with everyone! How did you start and fell in love with photography?

I started to enjoy photography when I was a middle school student. In the beginning, I only used my mobile phone to shoot. I would walk with my classmates and take pictures. Slowly I discovered that it was very interesting to record the scenery around me. I can be very engaged when I shoot, no matter it is landscapes or trivial things in life. So I bought my first SLR camera and studied more photography skills deeply.

As a female photographer, what are the challenges or advantages in shooting?

At present, I still feel that the challenge is due to a lack of physical strength, as the shooting period is quite long and the equipment is heavy. Most of the time, women are not as physically strong as men. And the market is still dominated by men, so in the early stage of my photography career, I often get questioned by the guests’ relatives and friends or even mistake me as a makeup artist. Every time they know that I am a photographer, they are surprised.

Although it may seem like a big challenge, there are many advantages because I'm a girl as well. I like reading fashion magazines, and I also study makeup and dressing. The things I like are no different from normal girls.

"I understand what angles and feelings girls want, so I can easily capture their most beautiful sides when shooting. In the past, some guests saw their photos taken by my camera, and surprisingly realized that they can be so beautiful!"

Glad to meet you through Youtube! Your channel covers different kinds of photography-related information, what kind of videos do you like the best?

I love sharing creative photography skills on YouTube! I will study-related information before shooting, sometimes they are so unique that I have never even heard of it. During the shooting process, I still need to keep trying, sometimes it does work and sometimes it doesn't, which is very fun.

What did you shoot with Petzval 55? How do you feel about it?

This lens is very attractive to me, portrait, landscape, life sketches, it can handle all of them! I personally prefer the 55 mm focal length as the edges of the photo will not be overly deformed or compressed, and the photo comes out will be very natural. Its rotating bokeh is special enough to add a sense of mystery and dreaminess to the photos, which is eye-catching for everyone.

This is the first time I have encountered a lens with different aperture plates in the middle! It greatly increases the interest in the work. In addition, the metal texture of the lens is also something that touches me, also, the weight of the black aluminum lens is not too burdened for me! I will be happy to take it out more often!

Could you share some tips for shooting with Petzval?

You may wish to boldly try to shoot in a backlight environment. The backlight can often bring unexpected effects such as bokeh or ghosting. But you need to pay attention to the exposure setting to avoid the subject from being too dark or the background from being overexposed. In addition, you can also make more use of the foreground. The leaves, flowers, and even string lights in the scene are excellent foreground choices to make the photo vibrant.

What's your favorite photo of Petzval 55?

Ah, what a problem, I really like all of them. Let me say that my favorite is the cat on the rocks by the sea. The rotating depth of the photo is obvious, and the soft light at dusk outlines the cat's hair beautifully.

In addition, because it is rare to capture this piece, it takes some luck. When I was shooting that day, I wanted to take pictures of cats in my heart, and I was nagging for a long time with my friends: I owed a cat to be the main character. As a result, a few stray cats came out unexpectedly before leaving. The stray cat is not close to people. Whenever I wanted to get closer, he turned his head and left. I waited patiently for a long time and took this photo after gaining the trust of the cat. It was an accident that I met a cat that day, and I also like to encounter such "accidents", which are more exciting than works built by technology.

Please tell us your future plan!

In addition to continuing to shoot videos with various photography techniques, I also plan to expand face-to-face photography courses in the future to teach more people about photography.

Check out Rebecca's vlog with the Petzval 55 mm Art Lens here:

Incorporate what you love into work and life, and never forget to get pure happiness from photography. Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing! If you appreciate Rebecca's work please follow her Instagram (@Cakesfilm, @beccachan) and Youtube to see more sharing!

written by jasminenuck on 2020-11-22 #gear #news #people #videos #art-lens #rebecca-chan #petzval-55mm