Orton effect directly in the camera
Saturday 15 March 2025, 14:28 by Nando Harmsen | 3,143 views | 4 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
The Orton effect gives your photo a dreamy look. This effect is easy to create in Lightroom or Photoshop. You can also create it directly in the camera. To do this, you need to be able to set multiple exposures.
Michael Orton was the photographer who became known for this technique. Hence the name Orton effect. By combining a sharp photo with a blurred photo of the same subject, you create a subtle or pronounced glow in the photo.
He used to do this with slide film by placing the two slides in a single slide mount. It was not an unfamiliar technique, but Orton became known for it.
These days, this is done in Photoshop or similar photo-editing programmes. To some extent, you can also do it in Lightroom. With this modern technique, there is no longer any need to combine two different photos.
Instead of relying on digital manipulation of your photo, you can also use the old technique. Take one sharp photo, then take another one that is blurred. Combine them later.
You can take it one step further. Is your camera capable of making multiple exposures? Then use that technique to add the Orton effect.
Activate multiple exposures and set it to two shots with the overlay option set to 'average'.
Take a photo of your subject. For the second photo, switch to manual focus and turn the focus as far out as you like.
You can see the result directly on your screen, so you can use the amount of blur that you think is appropriate. You can also adjust the exposure for the desired effect if necessary.
This gives you an in-camera Orton effect straight away. You create it on the spot, without using software on your computer.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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4 comments
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Donald Willemsen wrote on Saturday 15 March 2025 at 16:34 | replyDe techniek om met meervoudige opnames te werken is in mijn ogen beter dan het achteraf toevoegen met de nabewerking. Ik denk wel dat je het mooiste effect krijgt als je ook tegenlicht gebruikt.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet. -
Matt Houben wrote on Friday 21 March 2025 at 08:35 | replyVoor Sony is er nog een mogelijkheid: de Minolta 100mm F2.8 Soft Focus lens.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
Dit is een A-mount lens die een soortgelijk effect veroorzaakt. Sony E-mount camera's kunnen deze lens met een adapter gebruiken.
De sterkte van het effect is instelbaar op de lens. -
Nando
wrote on Friday 21 March 2025 at 09:12
| reply
Ik wist dat Canon een soft-focus objectief heeft (135mm). Van Minolta wist ik het niet. Er zijn ook heel veel softfocus filters beschikbaar die je op je objectief schroeft.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
En toch, soft focus geeft volgens mij niet helemaal hetzelfde effect. Het is juist de combinatie van scherp en onscherp. Met soft-focus mis je dat laatste. -
Donald Willemsen wrote on Friday 21 March 2025 at 09:56 | reply
Nando, het was nog in de tijd van de analoge fotografie dat ik een aantal creatieve filters gebruiken van Cokin, waaronder verschillende types softfocusfilters en bijvoorbeeld centerspotfilters. Het waren kunststof filters en echt geweldig waren die nu ook weer niet. Ik heb ze ook niet meer.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
De methode die jij hebt voorgesteld vind ik persoonlijk een betere methode met een mooier resultaat. Overigens heeft Lensbaby ook een aantal mogelijkheden om dit soort resultaten te bereiken, maar dit terzijde.
Nog even opgemerkt dat softfocus niet hetzelfde is als het Ortoneffect.
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