227 ☼ Wrong Lens, Right Place
15 minutes, one dance legend, and a lens that should never be used for portraits
Dear friends,
This week’s issue is short, visual, and a little weird, on purpose. I’m sharing a few portraits made with a lens that has no business shooting people, plus two archived moments I’d almost forgotten about. Oh and my favorite selfie ever.
Quick Notes:
Process app — I’ve started coding for the first time, building my first little app: a simple system for keeping film roll notes, based on the method I’ve used for over a decade. Once ready, I’ll share it with the Process Photo Club community first.
New Video — Episode four of the mysterious Paris video series is out. If you’ve been following along, you know where this is headed. If not, check it out here.
Internship — This is the last week to apply for my internship program. Info here.
The Wrong Lens
A few weeks ago, I drove to The Hague with my friend and videographer Harry Orange to shoot a video with Samuel Wuersten, the artistic director of Holland Dance Festival. The video was for their upcoming 20th anniversary season, and we filmed it inside Amare, which is a this stunning temple of a building. Check out the video here.
After we wrapped, I had about 15 minutes before Samuel had to leave. I’d borrowed the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4 from MPB for another project, and it was sitting in my bag. This lens is massive, heavy, and famously not designed for portraits.
It’s the kind of glass that is perfect for architecture, landscape, or astrophotography. It’s very much not meant to use close-up with humans. It’s a very interesting lens, and the widest so-called rectilinear full-frame lens ever, which means it doesn’t produce that typical “fisheye” distortion, while still being crazy wide.
I had 15 minutes, one of the most respected figures in the international dance world standing in front of me, and a lens that could make anyone look like they’re about to drop into a halfpipe.
The question I wanted to answer: Could I make this non-traditional lens feel intentional, maybe even expressive, without it turning into a gimmick?
We shot inside and outside Amare, moving quickly but not rushing. Samuel has this calm, curious energy, and he seemed genuinely interested in what we were doing with this weird chunk of glass. When someone’s engaged, you can feel it through the lens.
Would I choose this lens on purpose for a portrait shoot again? Absolutely not, but it was a wonderful challenge to get something out of such a “wrong” lens that could still work for a simple editorial feature portrait. Check out how little distortion the lens produces, even at such a crazy wide focal length. And just wait til you see the video we used it for, that’s when this lens really shined very brightly.
Takeaways
Here’s what stuck with me from that 15-minute window:
Use the “wrong” lens sometimes. It forces you out of autopilot. You can’t rely on what you know, so you start experimenting. That’s when interesting things can happen.
Speed sharpens intuition. When the clock’s ticking, there’s no time to second-guess. You trust your instincts, and often they’re right.
Unusual gear creates conversation. People get curious. That curiosity loosens them up, and suddenly you’re not just taking their picture. You’re collaborating.
Shout Out: The Holland Dance Festival runs February 4–21, 2026, across several Dutch cities. Full lineup here, the opening night is already sold out and many shows are close to selling out so grab those tickets fast.
Dance From The Archive
After finishing this issue, I opened up my Excire program and typed in one keyword: “dancing.” The two gems below popped out of a larger batch of almost 1500 images that corresponded to the keyword.
Niina and Dave, Studio 13, 2021 — Shot on the Pentax 67ii. I’d almost forgotten how much I loved this one. This was the same day I was the first person to test shoot the Kodak Tri-X Disposable camera. (Check out Process 042 and 043 for more.)
Soul night at Paradiso, 2023 — One of my all-time favorite nights in Amsterdam. Shot on the Contax G2, Kodak Portra 400, 28mm.
A quick shoutout to the Excire team: they just won “Best Imaging Software” at the Photography News 2025 Awards, beating out industry giants like Adobe and Capture One (which are both great too). Pretty amazing if you ask me!
If you haven’t tried Excire yet, it’s software that lives on your computer, no subscriptions, no uploading, no data training. It helps you search your archive using smart keywords, detect duplicates, and cull faster. I’m grateful for their support and Process readers get 15% off with the code PROCESS at checkout. For more, go here.
Giveaway
Leave a comment and share with us one creative constraint you want to try this year? It can be a lens, or a rule, or a type of film, or a format. Anything really. I'll randomly pick one person to receive a photo book from my collection + some goodies from my studio and rare expired film.
Thanks for reading. See you next week.
– Wesley
A 5-second favor: if Process has been useful to you, I’d love for you to share it with a friend. It’s the best way to help keep this thing going, and I’d really appreciate it.
This Week’s Camera + Tools
Camera: Canon EOS R5 + Canon EF 11-24mm f/4 (using an adapter)
Big thanks to MPB for loaning me this lens. (Yes, this is the same one we used when shooting the video that led to my tumble down the stairs and a few weeks on crutches. That video’s coming soon.)
Oh, and I’d be remiss not to share the insane selfie I took with this lens. Possibly my favorite selfie? Ever? Keep scrolling.
Process is supported by MPB.com, my personal go-to for buying, selling, or trading used gear. Everything comes with a 12-month warranty.
Process is also supported by Squarespace, where I’ve hosted my portfolio for the past 10+ years. They has always been there to support and empower creativity and I’m thankful for it. They sponsored my first big Community Documentary project, One of Many, back in 2014, and I’ve rebuilt my portfolio site on their platform at least five times since. Below is the landing page of the latest version, shout out to my friend Samuli Jokinen whose tasteful design helped me elevate the look and feel.
Their latest version makes it easier than ever to build something clean and pro, no coding required. If you’re looking for a home for your work, especially if you shoot in series or want to tell visual stories with some control over how they’re presented, it’s worth checking out. I highly recommend it, based on my personal experience.
Use code WESLEY for 10% off any Squarespace subscription.
Lab: Developed with love by Carmencita Film Lab. They’re the best and put so much care into getting it right. Use code “PROCESS“ for a free upgrade.
A Few Ways To Support This Work
If Process adds something to your week, here’s how you can help keep it going: grab a copy of my photo books (NOTICE, NJV1) or the Process Workbook series from my webshop. Everyone who orders something physical gets a free copy of the very limited edition Creatives In/AMS preview zine and some stickers.
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Alright, you made it to the end so you deserve this ridiculous 11mm selfie, taken with the same Canon EF 11-24mm f/4 lens I used for the portraits of Samuel.
🗃️ Browse the Process Archive.
I have two expired Spector color film laying around. I want to use them for some still life flower photos (with flowers I’m planning to grow in my garden this summer).
There are perhaps some photographers who need precision to execute a particular vision (Gregory Crewdson comes to mind). However, I prefer the "let's figure it out" approach to portraiture. With that mindset, I'm allowed to remain in the moment and hunt for the shot. To each his own but I much prefer it. It turns these wrong lens moments into opportunities.