Let's stand up for Tilt-Shift Photography

This write-up is to honor and salute the work of these hardworking 'manual labor' camera lens. Note the pun? Seriously, Tilt-Shift lens lack the attention and the spotlight in today digital photography age.

Introduction to Tilt-Shift Photography

Long before even the digital photography era reign, tilt-shift photography is there. Try recalling different posters of high rise buildings and breath-taking landscape pictures, and the chances of these pictures taken with a tilt-shift lens is more than half. Adobe Photoshop was not that advanced yet, but these stunning images of vertical and horizontal lines and forms are taken with tilt-shift lens. That was the power and lure of tilt-shift lens.

Tilt-Shift lens was expensive and still are more costly that the usual types of refractive lenses. But the mechanics behind the design construction is overwhelming for non-insiders. It involves physics and i am not very good in this aspect. Thus i will leave the technical side to the people at wikipedia.

Progress of Tilt-Shift Photography

Now a few decades down the road and the photography timeline, the fate of Tilt-Shift photography lies in the hands of the fakes. Yes, fake tilt-shift photography is images that have been digitally edited to mimic tilt-shift effect by the optical tilt-shift lens.

And sad to say but interesting to note, there are much more users and photographers interested in fake tilt-shift photography than the real Mccoy. Maybe it is the price and the handling of tilt-shift lens that shun them away. Maybe everyone loves working with the keyboard more than getting out and take that shot!

I may be using the keyboard more than out in the 'open shots' (another pun intended), but i am advocating the recognition of tilt-shift lens and what they deserve. Many newer photographers do not even know what a tilt-shift lens is except it is by Canon.

They are right except tilt-shift lens is termed this name even before Canon name it Tilt-Shift. Tilt-Shift is the camera movements that allow the photographer to control the perspective line, depth of field, related blur. All in relation with one another.

Tilt-Shift photography is an interesting subject and photography technique, whether optical or digital tilt-shift photography.