This is my card to all this Holiday season. I placed a small statue of the Belsnickel or Santa at the edge of a piece of black acrylic. The photograph was made with a Nikon D800 and a Lomography Mark II Petzval 80.5 mm f/1.9 lens. This rebirth of an unusual old-fashioned lens is one of my fun photography toys. The version I have is beautiful, lacquered brass making it an objet d'arte itself. Exposure was ISO 800, 1/400 second at f/1.9. The key element in this set up is the diaphragm shape which is determined by metal aperture plates inserted into the lens. For this image, a star shaped aperture plate was used which caused the out-of-focus holiday tree lights in the background to be rendered as stars. Post processing for this image simply involved lightening the reflection and adding the messages in Photoshop Elements.
5 comments posted
Judith Lesnaw
And a very merrie holiday to you Karl! I love your card and the ingenious techniques you applied to its creation. There appears to be an evergreen tree in the background. It is in pleasing bokeh. How far was it from the tack sharp Belsnickel? Thank you for introducing me to the Belsnickel. May he/she feed your creativity well this year. Posted: 12/15/2024 21:10:27
Karl Leck
Hi Judith, The Belsnickel is a Christmas mainstay of the Pennsylvania German community, aka Pennsylvania Dutch. He brings pretzels and candies to good children and local coal to bad ones. He can be depicted nearly Santa-like or blackened. The decorated, live holiday tree is about 8-10 feet behind the figure. This lens is also fun in highway night photography. Karl Posted: 12/16/2024 15:45:03
Lauren Heerschap
I looked up Belsnickel. He is a mischievious spirit in German Pennsylvania culture. Merry Christmas to you! You are right this camera is a work of art. We have tried cheaper techniques of cutting out from cellophane a shape like a star and photographing Christmas lights. Very fun. Posted: 12/18/2024 19:18:19
Heather Ebey
I find the technique with your antique lens quite interesting. Karl. I had never heard of it. The card is cheerful and creative. You have inspired me to try something next year. Happy holidays to you! Posted: 12/19/2024 06:22:07
Freddie Kelvin
So ingenious, and thank you for introducing me to Belsnickel! I can imagine everyone receiving this beaming with joy. Marvelous! Posted: 12/20/2024 17:28:25
