I have been reading about the newest Lensbaby – The Lensbaby Velvet 56 and recently viewed some images which blew me away. The Velvet 56 classic portrait lens gives you a velvety, ethereal start with a smooth finish, from the big picture to the smallest details. It is a 56mm f/1.6 manual portrait and macro lens evokes an experience like no other (so says the manufacturer) so I thought I would give it a try. The cost of only $499 did not seem so prohibitive, but I decided to rent the lens first to see how I liked it. The rental fee was only $35 for 4 days. My lens arrived on a Thursday, as promised. The first thing I did was go to the grocery store and buy several bouquets of flowers. I set them outdoors next to my studio and caught the later afternoon sun. I shot photos like crazy and loved the results. On the last day of the rental, I bought some more flowers and photographed them for hours. I had a ball and hated to pack up the lens to send back. With fall and winter approaching, I may wait until the spring to purchase this exciting lens! Below are some of the photos I took with the LensBaby Velvet 56.