Back in 2004, while flipping through a copy of Time magazine, I was struck by the work of photojournalist David Burnett. He was on the campaign trail shooting John Kerry’s presidential bid. Burnett is up there with the best and has been covering presidents since JFK. Yet what made these photos stand out from the crowd, in addition to his seeing, of course, had to do with the lens and camera he was using. Burnett was lugging around a 4×5 Speed Graphic press camera equipped with a 7″ Aero Ektar lens dating back to 1943. It’s a beast of a camera/lens combo that produces images that make everyone in them look like miniature dolls driving toy trucks. At least that’s the way he uses it. I knew then and there I had to try tilt-shift lens photography and start building my kit.

Children do cartwheels on Grand Isle beach in Grand Isle, La. August 15, 2009. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Children do cartwheels on Grand Isle beach in Grand Isle, La. August 15, 2009. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon

How I Made My DIY Tilt-Shift Lens Kit

The push/pull ‘focusing’ mechanism is a rubber boot for a motorcycle’s suspension that I purchased at an auto parts store. I used a Nikkor lens mount from an old for-parts off-brand lens I purchased on eBay. And I found an eBay seller that had the female Bronica mount. These two mounts are screwed into two pieces of clear Lexan painted black and cut into circles, with a hole saw, that fits snuggly into the two ends of the cut boot. The boot was much longer than what I used. It doesn’t take a lot of pushing and pulling to go from macro to infinity on a 35mm frame.

Used 2 ¼ Bronica lenses back then were dirt cheap, but sharp. My trinity of lenses includes a 50mm Zenza 2.8, 75mm Zenzanon PE 2.8 and 150 f4 Zenzanon MC.

My DIY tilt-shift lens system made up of a 50mm Zenza 2.8, 75mm Zenzanon PE 2.8 and 150 f4 Zenzanon MC. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
My DIY tilt-shift lens system is made up of a 50mm Zenza 2.8, 75mm Zenzanon PE 2.8 and 150 f4 Zenzanon MC. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon

These days, there’s an app for making this kind of photography, right? Who needs to make a DIY version? But if you’re like me, you’ll find that doing it the old-fashioned way far outweighs any digital smartphone fakery.

Unlike Burnett’s setup, my lenses have no rails to keep them in place. This means that I have to find focus and hold it there. This isn’t easy, especially when subjects are on the move. Plus, the depth of field is next to nothing. To use mine, I constantly have to flex and squeeze and pull and swing. It’s like a lens tango with the subject. That said, it’s quite rewarding to get a keeper. 

I’ve gotten a few. Please have a look below:

Angola Prison Rodeo

Inmates who will soon be competing in the ring gather in prayer before the start of the 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, LA, on Sunday, October 9, 2011. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Inmates race with the state flags of Mississippi and Wyoming during the Grand Entry to the 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA, Sunday, October 9, 2011. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
The 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA, Sunday, October 9, 2011. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
An inmate competes in the bareback riding event at the 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA, Sunday, October 9, 2011. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
An inmate competes in the bareback riding event at the 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA, Sunday, October 9, 2011. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Two offenders try to rope a horse during the 45th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at Angola State Penitentiary on October 4, 2009. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
The 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA, Sunday, October 9, 2011. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
An inmate is flipped by an angry bull during the Pinball competition at the 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA, Sunday, October 9, 2011. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
The 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA, Sunday, October 9, 2011. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
An inmate competes in the bareback riding event at the 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA, Sunday, October 9, 2011. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Inmates test their bravery as they sit during the Convict Poker event at the 47th annual Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA, Sunday, October 9, 2011. The last inmate to stay at the table as the bull approaches him wins. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon

Louisiana Scenes

Oak Alley Plantation. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
The annual Zulu parade rolls down Canal Street in New Orleans on February 16, 2010. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
New Orleans French Quarter photographs shot with DIY tilt-shift lenses. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
New Orleans French Quarter photographs shot with DIY tilt-shift lenses. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
New Orleans French Quarter photographs shot with DIY tilt-shift lenses. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
A train hauls chemicals through downtown Baton Rouge along the Mississippi River. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Fireworks erupt above the Baton Rouge skyline, including the 34-floor Louisiana State Capitol Building, July 4, 2009. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Fireworks erupt above the Baton Rouge skyline, including the 34-floor Louisiana State Capitol Building, July 4, 2009. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
The 2008 Pennington Hot Air Balloon Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
A tugboat works its way down river past Baton Rouge, Louisiana at twilight on July 4, 2009. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
2009 Spanishtown Mardi Gras parade.
A woman looks on as troops march past during the 2009 Port Hudson Civil War re-enactment. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
LSU senior Garrett Temple tries for a three-pointer against Vanderbilt at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La. March 4, 2009.
LSU vs Vanderbilt basketball game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.
Bridge Side Marina at sunset on Grand Isle, Louisiana on August 16, 2009. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon

A Few More Pics

Airplane on tarmac. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Tilt-shift photography of airplanes on tarmac at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Subdivisions near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, as seen during approach to the airport on May 7, 2009. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Guns in memorial to the U.S. 3rd Battery, Ohio Light Artillery sit silent at Vicksburg National Military Park, September 12, 2010. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
A monument to Manning F. Force, Col. 20th Ohio Infantry at Vicksburg National Military Park on September 12, 2010. Force commanded the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 17th Corps from June 4 to July 4, 1863. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Cloud Gate in Chicago’s Millennium Park on May 8, 2009. Referred to by locals as “The Bean” by British artist Anish Kapoor, Cloud Gate weighs in at over 110-tons, and is 66 feet long and 33 feet high. “The Bean” was created using a huge number of individual stainless steel plates — Cloud Gate’s seamless surface is the result of thousands of hours of polishing. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Sailboats along Chicago’s Lakefront Lake Michigan park. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
A Chicago Transit Authority train goes over the Wells Street Bridge and Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois on May 10, 2009. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Vehicles parked at Marina City, a mixed-use residential/commercial building complex occupying an entire city block on State Street in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon

Like these images? Get in touch at sales at evocativesound dot com.

Further Reading

  • See David Burnett’s portfolio here. In addition to his tilt/shift images of Kerry, and of President Bush at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, check out his images from the Bonneville Salt Flats.
  • Read Burnett’s write-up about his tilt-shift work in the Digital Journalist. By the way, this was the go-to website on all things digital photojournalism back in the day. I read it religiously. Thankfully, the website still exists.
  • British photographer Chris Chinnock uses this setup, along with an instant film back, to make interesting portraiture. See his work here.