Lensbaby's New Soft Focus II

In February of 2021, I challenged myself to shoot my self-portraiture for 30-days using only Lensbaby lenses and optics. Self-portraiture can prove intimidating, and adding a creative manual focus lens into the mix can feel like a formidable feat. These lenses and optics soon proved to be the missing pieces to bringing my visions to life. Over a year later, I'm still shooting my work primarily with Lensbaby gear, and I haven't looked back.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 160 | 1/250 | Sony a7rIII

Recently, I had the opportunity to be a beta tester for a new optic, The Soft Focus II, by Lensbaby. The Soft Focus II optic fits into my Composer Pro II and judging by my results, it will stay there for a long time to come. This new optic has significant potential in aiding me in my future work.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 320 | 1/250 | Sony a7rIII

My first impression was that it gave a similar feel to my Velvet 56 when I shot between f/2.8 and f/2.5. There was a familiar smoothness and a glow reminiscent of the Velvet line, but I felt the glow was more substantial than the Velvets upon deeper inspection.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 320 | 1/250 | Sony a7rIII

I usually shoot fairly wide as a self-portrait artist, only stopping down to f/2.8 at most. When I began testing the Soft Focus II, I shot at f/2.5 - f/2.8. The softness, blur, and luminous glow immediately brought me into that dreamworld atmosphere I am drawn to so deeply. I then decided to try out f/4 and was pleasantly surprised with my results.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 160 | 1/800 | F/4 | Sony a7rIII

There was a level of detail and structure brought out in the image, yet it still had a smoothness and softness to it. I usually use three editing software programs for my black and white images. When shooting at f/4, I achieved the same qualities as I typically do in my second editing program. It could essentially allow me to skip a step in my editing process.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 160 | 1/800 | Sony a7rIII

I want my art to give the viewer the feeling of looking through an old vintage book of fairytales. I'm not looking for sharp, precise details, and I like the imagination to come into play. I want the viewer whisked away into another world and time. The process of creating is of vital importance to me. Similar results may be possible in post-processing, but I want to spend as much time in the creative moment as possible. I want to look through my viewfinder and already begin to feel I'm there in that far away land. I want to see the results on the back of my camera and feel the excitement of knowing I was able to achieve my vision. Lensbaby's products help make all of this possible for me.

Lensbaby Soft Focus II | ISO | 320 | 1/120 | Sony a7rIII

I am looking forward to the Spring and Summer months when the foliage begins to fill in the empty gaps, and I can test out the magnetic drop-in aperture disks as a new way to bring more wonder and enchantment into my imagery. The Soft Focus II optic will now be on my camera until further notice!

*I am proud to be both a Lensbaby Ambassador and Click Pro Ambassador. If you should have any questions at all please reach out to me!

Expressive Self Portraiture Coming in March

Self-portraiture is a portal to the parts of you that have been dormant, wounded, silenced, and hidden. It’s a doorway to a better version of yourself. It’s a creative form of storytelling and self-expression.
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I’m considering opening up Expressive Self-Portraiture for another round in March. If this is a class you’re interested in or if you would like more details, please email me at sharoncovertphotography@gmail.com . 🤍

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The Evil Queen- Lensbaby

A year ago, I challenged myself to use Lensbaby lenses for my self-portrait work. I thought I would do it for 30-days. Here I am, a year later, and madly in love with these creative lenses and optics.

I made this self-portrait using my Lensbaby Composer Pro II with the Sweet 50 optic. Let me know if you have any questions, and if you’d like to save on your next Lensbaby purchase just use this link and the discount code wsharon .
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Sony a7riii | Sweet 50 | f/2.5 | 1/125| 1600

Finding Inspiration in Nature

There’s magic to be found in the everyday. Sometimes, all you need to activate it is a little creativity. Imagination.
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I found a dragonfly’s wing in my yard the other day. I combined it with a print of this self-portrait and re-photographed it using my @lensbabyusa Velvet 56.
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This unconventional self-portrait could have been made in Photoshop, but the process and meaning wouldn’t have been the same for me.
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If you have any questions about my process, email me or comment below! As both a Lensbaby and Click Pro Ambassador I enjoy representing both brands and sharing as much as I can. Click here to shop Lensbaby and save 10% on your purchase with the code wsharon ♥️

Interested in becoming a Click Pro? I save you $15USD off of the application fee by clicking here.
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Sony a7riii | Velvet 56 | f/2.8 | 1/320 | 640

Creating Self-Portraits Using a Long Exposure

In 2016, I found myself in the throes of an identity crisis. Self-portraiture was a tool I began using as a form of healing and self-expression during this difficult time. I was looking for ways to express myself in a way that was unique to me. Through much experimentation, I introduced long exposures into my self-portraiture work. Feeling invisible, I created my "See Me" project as a way to be seen essentially. "See Me" is an ongoing project where I continue to make these past and present stories and versions of myself.

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Creating these long exposures became an integral part of my healing process. I developed this relationship with time and these in-between moments. Knowing that my thoughts, feelings, breath, heartbeat, movement, and life were captured in an image intrigued me. I was drawn to this in-between space where I could reveal pieces of my personal story that felt just as haunted as I did. I was able to step outside of myself and witness myself with fresh eyes. As the exposure time lengthened, I discovered I could create an image with two versions of me; much like the results that a double exposure could produce. This allowed me to see myself as another person and give her the love and forgiveness she longed for. In the end, this project has been an aid in the practice of self-love and self-discovery.

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The below image is the newest edition to the series. This is a self-portrait I took in my backyard using a 10-second shutter speed and my Lensbaby Velvet 56.
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Sony a7riii | Velvet 56 | f/16 | ISO 50 | SS 10s

You can view the series here on my website under ‘Projects’ or in the July/August 2021 issue of Shadow & Light Magazine, The Surreal Issue.

If you’re a member of the Click Community, I have a tutorial explaining my process for this. If you have any questions about my process, let me know!

The Importance of Play for Creativity

I've recently had a spark of creativity that has resulted in a new way of creating for me. I've been breathing new life and meaning into self-portraits I have already made. It began with taking a print of a recent self-portrait and poking holes in it. I needed pins and needles of various sizes and some cork board to put behind the printed photo. This technique is something I have wanted to try for years but never took the first step. Next, I found a light to shine behind the print and used my camera to take a picture of the altered print. This was the result.

Another thing I tried was using gold leaf paint. When I shared this next self-portrait on social media, several people thought I had used some type of overlay in Photoshop to achieve this look. Again, this was a print of an older self-portrait I had. I splattered gold leaf paint on top of the print and then photographed the print using my Lensbaby Velvet 56.

For this last one, I used a 2.5-gallon fish tank. I took the printed photograph, submerged it into the tank, and shook the tank to create movement in the water. Then, I took a picture of the picture.

Many viewers assumed my end results were all achieved in Photoshop. The process of making these felt important and therapeutic for me. I wasn't sure how they would turn out and was intrigued by the fact that these photographs would be forever altered and have new meaning. There was a quality of permanence to them that they didn't have before.

As a Lensbaby Ambassador, I can save you 10% off your Lensbaby regular-priced purchase by using the code wsharon. As a Click Pro Ambassador, I can save you $15.00 off of your Click Pro application by clicking here to apply and using code sharoncovert.

Expressive Self Portraiture Opening Soon

Expressive Self-Portraiture opening soon!🌙
This is a call for all artists who have that inner burning desire to create new work- a new type of work.
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This is a call for anyone who would like to delve deeper into self-portraiture and learn how to process and express your emotions and life experiences through art.
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This is a call to dare to dream, find your voice, use your voice, and try new things, all in a safe and supportive space online.
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This is a call for hard work, emotional work, creative work, healing work.
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This is your call to action! Come join me in a private online space where we will spend 4+ weeks together. We will share, learn, create, support, heal, and make magic. There will be weekly written lessons, editing videos, behind the scenes, and weekly live creative sessions where we will hold one another accountable and work together.
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Registration for Expressive Self Portraiture is opening next week. Stay tuned for more details! Have a question? Feel free to DM me or drop it in the comments below. I’m SO excited!

Sony a7riii | Velvet 56 | f 2.8 | 1/250 | 200

Interested in the Lensbaby Velvet 56? Us this link and the code wsharon to save 10%!

Are you Feeling Supported?

Something that often comes up in my class, Expressive Self Portraiture, is the fear of sharing such deep and personal work while not feeling supported by those closest to us. I always encourage artists to share their work and trust that it will reach the right people at the right time, but this is no easy feat even for some of the most esteemed artists.
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It can feel confusing and even hurtful when the people we are closest to do not show support for our art. Why does it seem to be common to feel more supported by strangers and people you have never met in person? There can be several reasons for this.
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Our art is not for everyone.
I’ll say it again.
Not everyone is going to understand or connect with our work.
Our work can cause uncomfortable feelings for some people.
It may encourage them to face something in themselves that they are not ready to face.
They may think following you is enough.
They may feel intimidated or feel like an outsider to the art world.
They may not know how or feel comfortable interpreting our art.
They have their reasons and whatever they may be, just know that it is about them and not you or your work.
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As artists, we sometimes fall too deep in the trap of external validation. When we don’t see the support we would hope for from friends and family we tend to stay small. We don’t speak up or question it, but instead we hide with our feelings of unworthiness, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome.
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Fellow artists, keep doing what you’re doing and supporting each other. I know what gets put into making personal work. I’m a firm believer in artists supporting artists. I support you and appreciate your support- every comment, like, share, review, and recommendation.
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Thank you!
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Let’s discuss this. Do you find this is something you have struggled with or encountered? I believe it’s much more common than we think.

Sony a7riii | Velvet 56 | f/2.8 | 1/250 | 200

✨ Don’t forget as a Lensbaby Ambassador I can save you 10% on your purchase. You can click this link and use the discount code- wsharon . Tag me on Instagram with any images you make with your Lensbaby gear so I can show my support!

A Foggy Morning with the Lensbaby Velvet 56

I loved the conversation we had in the comments of my last Instagram post that I shared here yesterday. I think it’s helpful to learn the process of others, whether it’s finding out they are similar to you or learning something completely new. Thank you for sharing!
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Yesterday morning we had fog again. I knew I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. This was one of those shoots where I wasn’t thrilled with my results at first. I needed to sit with the images for a bit. I ended up editing one in color and one in B+W.
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I’ve been very pleased with the results of my @lensbabyusa Velvet 56 lately. The combination of this lens and the fog really helped add to the atmosphere here in this self-portrait. It makes me feel like it’s from another time, another land, a scene from a movie, a page from a book.
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Don’t forget, as a #lensbabyambassador I can offer you a 10% discount. Use this link and type in the code wsharon at checkout. Tag me in any work you make with them. I’d love to see and support you!
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To Plan or Not to Plan Your Creative Shoots?

Are you the type of artist who pre-plans your creative work? Or do you work off of a feeling? I used to have the mindset that in order to create art I needed to have a plan set in place. I felt that all of the professionals worked that way.
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Through time and experience, I have come to learn that there is no one way of creating art. I now can go into creating with an open mind and no expectations of a specific outcome. I don’t always pre-think all of my shots and instead, I allow myself to be present in the moment to find and create what my heart sees and feels.
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It may just be a whisper or a nudge, a sense or a feeling. I try to be receptive and
open so I don’t miss it. I listen and watch for signs and guidance. I’ve had plenty of shoots that didn’t produce an image in the end, but it did provide me with lessons and an experience. It all depends on how you look at it.
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This self-portrait? I was driving home from dropping my daughter off at school yesterday morning and the early morning fog called to me.
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So tell me, do you favor planning or going with your intuition? Or maybe a mix of the two like I do? There is no wrong or right way! Can you see a difference in your work with one way over another?
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Sony a7riii | Velvet 56 | f/2.8 | 1/250 | 200

As a Lensbaby Ambassador I can save you 10% on your Lensbaby purchase. Just use this link and the code wsharon at checkout! Tag me on Instagram @sharoncovertphotography with any Lensbaby work you create!

Lost & Found {Self-Portrait}

You can only find the right way after you lost it
Erik Tanghe
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Intuition {Self-Portrait}

Intuitively, we gather together. We learn from each other. We share each other’s pain and life experiences as a collective.
We learn we are not so different from one another. We go beyond the surface and we create from a once guarded space deep within. We support, we grieve, we hold space, we grow, we make a mess. We are Artists. There’s no textbook that can teach this experience; this way of learning. It’s in the doing. It’s in the mistakes. It’s in our guts. We are guided by our intuition and we trust the process.
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Thank you to the women who have trusted in me and have gathered together to create in Expressive Self Portraiture. It is a gift and honor to spend time with you.♥️

The Snow Queen

Perfectionism is fear in disguise. How many times have you wanted to do something but told yourself the timing wasn't right or you didn't have enough time? Maybe if ___ happened or ____ then you could begin. Oftentimes, I find the most difficult part with something new is to begin. If we could allow ourselves to just begin, then the rest will unfold. We don't have to be experts to begin.
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I’m currently reading Julia Cameron's newest book, The Listening Path. When she teaches, she cues her students to make a list of 10 fill in the blanks. Each one begins with- If it didn't have to do it perfectly, I’d try ____.
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My very first thought was paint. I would paint. Thinking of all of the things I would do if they didn't have to be perfect was profound and gave me a lot to journal about. Think of all the things we hold back from in fear of not being good enough. We are depriving ourselves of the very things that will make us thrive!
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Let's be brave together and show up and do the work...whatever that work may be.

The Snow Fairy

An important and key part to being an artist is to practice, play, and be hands on. We learn and grow by doing.
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Begin before you feel ready to. It’s no secret, we’re going to experience failures. We’re going to make bad art. There is no exception to that. It’s a rite of passage. It happens to us all, myself included.
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We are going to fail, but we’re going to learn. Be open to the lessons of your failures. Listen to them and study them as if they were sacred secrets. Become receptive. Crack open and let the ideas flow in that are unique to your self-expression.
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It’s in the experience where the magic happens. The doing. Going into a shoot with an open mind and allowing the outcome to unfold before you is where creativity thrives.

The Apple Orchards

Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds... Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.
Neil Gaiman
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Here is the second location from the other day. If you zoom in you’ll see my fingers are as red as the falling apple. No editing there. It was freezing! I have Raynaud’s Syndrome and normally my fingers and toes turn pure white and go numb even while being inside of my house. I reached a new level of cold that day. Does anyone else have Raynaud’s? My daughter plays ice hockey so I have an endless supply of hand and toe warmers!

Fantasy {Self-Portrait}

Fantasy is storytelling with the beguiling power to transform the impossible into the imaginable, and to reveal our own “real” world in a fresh and truth-bearing light.
Leonard S. Marcus
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In my Instagram stories I asked which location you would like to see first from a recent shoot. Here is the location with the most votes.

What’s everyone up to today? Here in NJ we are having a snow day. Is there anything more magical that newly fallen snow? ❄️

Seeker {Lensbaby Self-Portraits)

Seeker🕯
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Earlier this week, I shot these self-portrait in my backyard using my Lensbaby Velvet 56. Since @lensbabyusa lenses are manual focus lenses, I needed something to focus on in the place where I would be standing. I used a dress form complete with a wig and mask on it to stand in my place. I use this because it is similar in size and height to me. Once I grabbed my focus, I was able to place a stick on the ground where I would be standing and move the dress form out of the frame.
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Have a question? Comment or DM me! Here’s the link for Lensbaby’s site. Be sure to use the code wsharon for a 10% discount on your next Lensbaby purchase!

Sony a7riii | Velvet 56 | 1/250 | f/2 | ISO 100

Lensbaby Ambassador

Lensbaby Ambassador!
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It’s official! I have joined the @lensbabyusa team as part of their Ambassador program. I have been using Lensbaby lenses for several years now. If you’ve taken my Expressive Self Portraiture class you know that I love using Lensbaby lenses throughout my self-portraiture work. If you’ve taken my other class, The Art of Authenticity, then you know that my macro work primarily consists of Lensbaby work. Nothing can compare!
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So what does this mean? I will be sharing more behind the scenes and details of my Lensbaby work and why I love working with these unique lenses. I also have a discount code for YOU! Feel free to DM me any time with any questions about Lensbaby or my process.
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You can follow this LINK to their website and use the code wsharon to save 10% on all regular price purchases.
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This self-portrait was taken with the Lensbaby Composer Pro II and the Sweet 50 optic.

Once Upon a Time- The Creative Weaver

Once upon a time
A girl weaved a magical story
Though art.
And then another, and another,
And another,
She created from her heart. 

These spells held heartache,
Love, turmoil, enchantment,
Good vs evil,
Darkness and light.
They held wishes, dreams,
Memories,
Creating them was her right.

My new email challenge, The Creative Weaver, is coming soon! To be the first to know, sign up for my email list or reach out to me at sharon@sharoncovert.com .
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How to Be a Creative Weaver - New Email Challenge Coming Soon!

How to be a Creative Weaver

Create uncensored,
Write for your eyes only,
But share it.

Believe in magic,
Truly believe.

Hand the reins over to your inner child,
Gift her the space she needs to create.
Allow her to craft a magical mess!

Read one hundred books,
Read some more.

Walk in the woods,
Talk to the animals.
Collect treasures from nature,
Feathers, acorns, bones, mushrooms, rocks.

Look up at the sky,
Take a deep breath,
Deeper.
Inhale.
Exhale.

Consult the cards, self-reflection,
Follow your heart and intuition,
Trust it knows the way.

You are a Creative Weaver.

My new 10-day email challenge, The Creative Weaver, is coming soon! Email me with any questions!