Lensbirdie & her Lensbabies

I’m Birgit, the photographer behind Lensbirdie and a Lensbaby ambassador since the start of the programme.

My first Lensbaby was a Composer with the Double Glass optic, bought half on impulse during a lunch break back in 2010. Finding the right balance between focus and blur took some practice, but I never considered giving up. Some strive for perfection in their photography. I resonate deeper with images that some would consider imperfect – and as such, perhaps closer to reality than the technically perfect ones? The magical bent and blurry look achieved with Lensbaby is spot on for my life experience, and for my photography style.

My Lensbaby gear

Lensbaby lenses have become my everyday companions. I shoot with full-frame Nikon cameras — the Z6III and Df — as well as an Olympus E-M10 for light painting. Over the years, my Lensbaby collection has grown considerably: as of 2026, the Soft Focus II is the only optic I’m missing from the complete Lensbaby lens and optic lineup.

These days, I only use conventional lenses for assignments like festivals, concerts and TEDx talks. Even then, I usually find a way to sneak in a little Lensbaby magic!

Photography and community

Sharing photography with others has long been an important part of my life. In 2017, I opened a small gallery featuring my own work alongside that of fellow amateur photographers. We did photo walks and editing sessions, and met on Saturdays for our morning coffee. Activity gradually dwindled after the pandemic, and the gallery is currently on hold.

I have also been active in photographic organisations for many years. I served as deputy chair of the Norwegian Photographic Society from 2017 to 2021 and as editor-in-chief of its online membership magazine from 2016 to 2022, returning to the board in 2025. I have been a board member of the Nordic Photographic Society since 2021 and the Norwegian Nature Photography Festival since 2020.

Since 2025, I have also volunteered with WikiPortraits, contributing portraits and documentary photographs to Wikimedia Commons. You can read more in my volunteer spotlight.

For the especially curious: a little about me

The name “Lensbirdie” came naturally: I’ve been called birdie for more than half my life and have been a keen photographer for nearly as long.

I live in southern Norway with my longtime partner and our two adult sons, and work as an in-house graphic designer at a large multidisciplinary consultancy. Photography has been my main hobby for well over 20 years.

Swap optics:

• Double glass (Oct 2010)
• Edge 80 (Feb 2013)
• Sweet 35 (Aug 2014)
• Optic swap kit: Zone/Pinhole, Single Glass, Plastic (Aug 2015)
• Soft Focus (Dec 2015)
• Edge 50 (July 2016)
• Twist 60 (Oct 2016)
• Edge 35 (Jan 2019)
• Sweet 80 (June 2020)
• Sweet 50 (Jan 2022)

Accessories:

• Macro kit (Aug 2014)
• Creative Aperture kit (Aug 2014)
• Omni Creative filter system + Color expansion pack (March 2020)
• Omni Crystal expansion pack + Flare wand expansion pack (June 2021)
• Omni Universal Expansion Pack with Shapes (nov 2024)

For mobile phone:

• LB-M10 (through Kickstarter Aug 2014)
• LB-M20
• LB-M30