Boone Speed is an award-winning professional photographer based in Portland, Oregon who has worked with brands like Nike, Adidas, The North Face, ESPN and Fila to help them tell their stories. Boone is also esteemed as a pioneering athlete and principle architect in the evolution of rock climbing.
A long-time Lensbaby shooter, Boone took some Lensbaby products out for a spin and created some of the beautiful, energy-filled photos below. Read on to hear about his Lensbaby adventures.
How did Spark help capture your vision in these photos?
With the Spark, you're literally able to bend and compose your picture right in the viewfinder. It takes a little practice to master but that process is quick and fun and I really like that each result is unique and not easily duplicated. In other words, Spark is a great lens for creating your own personal style of photography.
When you're on a shoot, when do you decide to put a Lensbaby on your camera?
I love the simplicity and the light weight of the Lensbaby so I use it often on personal walkabouts. I like that I can blur cluttered backgrounds into dynamic forms that separate my subject from the scene. I also use it for lifestyle and travel photography for companies like Patagonia and Prana, who appreciate and value the unique results of the Lensbaby.
What's in your camera bag?
I use Canon cameras and carry an array of fast prime and tilt & shift lenses as well as Lensbaby lenses. My work, whether personal or commercial, relies on a combination of impressionistic qualities like slight blur and/or some distortion that give energy to my images.
What's the craziest shoot you've ever been on?
There are a couple that come to mind. One was a big wave surfing shoot in Baja, 10 miles off the coast of Ensenada in 40 foot surf with the contents of a capsized drug boat floating all around us. And then, most of the ice climbing shoots can get a little nutty because of the logistical difficulties of rigging ropes high into ice while battling with cold fingers, cold weather and falling ice.
Any advice you can share for young or new photography enthusiasts?
I think one of the biggest challenges in the photo world today is developing a personal, recognizable photographic style that is unique and not easily duplicated. The Lensbaby, and especially the Spark, is a perfect lens for budding photographers to begin to grasp the possibilities in the photographic process. It allows for the creation of a unique personal style that you can't get with an iPhone or any standard point & shoot and stock lens combo.
You can read more about Boone's photographic adventures here. Have you ever used a Lensbaby? Link us up to your photos!