DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I put my hood on my long lens in the reverse position when I put the camera with that lens in my bag because it doesn't fit otherwise. When I take it out of the bag to use it I put the hood on the useful way. When I'm shooting, I can put it in the bag that way but I can't zip it.

I use two bodies so I can swap them for different lenses. Otherwise I could put the lens and body in the bag the long way.

Lenses in storage get the hood in whichever way it fits in the storage.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Not watch U-tube, use the lens with the hood in storage mode.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Maybe it LAZINESS? Perhaps it just that the really DON'T understand what a lens shade is supposed to do? Maybe they like flare as a special effect and don't have a "light leak" or "lens flare" plugin for their post-processing system. Or...it could be that the are using the wrong lens shade and it is vignetting so they just fold it back.

Could be a '"style" thing. Up here in Canada, y'all may have heard that the Winters are very cold! So... I see this young fellow standing in the street in the dead of Winter, waiting for a bus and shivering and turning blue- with his nice warm sweater tied aroud his waist. Fearing he woud die of hypothermia, I approached him and inquired as to why he did not don his sweater properly. He said, "it's the style-man! Good thing the bus came!

Seriously. Some folks don't care about lens shades but I do, especially in certin conditions like shooting against the sun- backlighting! In my studio, for portraits, I use lots of kicker or accent lights which strike the subject from about 135 degrees to the camer/subject axis. With so-called rim or profile lighting, you are looking for trouble without a shade. Pop on a filter and you have double-trouble!

For y'all Ansel fans, in one of his books and in a workshop I attended long ago, he illustrated how he makes his own lens shades out of black construction paper. His method was to make the shade deep enough so that it was just a hair short of vignetting at your working aperture so as to maxamize its efficiency. He must have though flare prevention is important.

I have several compendium (bellows) lens shades that I use to abide by Ansel's lessons. In the studio, I even have a gobo on a gooseneck stand that I can use to shield the lens from stray light for critically placed kickers. A small black collapsible gobo accompanies me on all out-of-door assignments.

I hope this doesn't become an pro and anti lens shad argument- like with filters. If any of you don't like lens shades and have no issues- more power to ya. All I can contribute to the conversation is how and why I use mine.

Why folks do strange things? Beats me!

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

I have a Sony A7 also, the 35mm Leica and 28mm Leica R lenses, the hoods don't reverse, just come off, and the 100mm Macro lens, it retracts into the lens itself. Then the 60mm macro lens does have a lens hood, just a deep recessed lens front. I like-a-Leicas.

Bill_de Loc: US

I always use a lens shade, but never realized I was being stylish.

Nice write-up.

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Leitz Loc: Solms

In some videos the hood is also mounted properly, and this presents a huge problem … when you are incapable of thinking for yourself, how are you supposed to know which one to copy??

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

<smirk>

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Because it looks cool.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

There's nothing new about being lazy or misusing something. Think of it like the people who wear baseball style caps at an angle of like the people who walk around with there pants partially down and their underwear showing. Is there really anything to be learned from those people?!
Do you really think the folks who use their cameras with the lens hood in the storage position are really on to something and know more about it than the people who designed it? Lens hoods are designed to serve a purpose and they actually do serve a purpose. Continue to use your lens hoods as the designers and manufactures intended, you won't go wrong. Ignore the people who are too lazy or too ignorant to attach the lens hood properly. You have nothing to learn from them.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Maybe it was reversed to make it easier to access the CPL.

gtheodore Loc: Fort Collins CO

Recently, my wife was in an accident that knocked her down to the pavement. She suffered several fractures to her pelvic area. She was shooting a Nikon D750 with a 28-300 lens with the lens hood on. Lens hood broke; no damage to lens. That’s your best bet to avoiding scratching or any other damage to the front element. Will it work all the time? Nothing does but that lens hood gives you a lot more protection than a UV or other clear filter mounted on your lenses.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

You're not going to catch hell from me. You are doing what makes you a photographer.

I'm sure that Leonardo DaVinci had someone tap him on the shoulder and tell him to have the model look off to one side and he should use a different brush. Leo probably told that critic to get away from him.

I remember a funny story about a man who wore his pants backwards. It didn't matter what type of pants. It could be dungarees or pressed wool. He would always spend a great deal of time sitting down. He would spend a great deal of time going to the bathroom. Everyone laughed at him and thought he was mentally ill. Then a little boy asked him why he wore his pants backwards. Everyone else gasped.
The man said I'll show you why. He turned around and unzipped his pants. Sure enough, out popped a six inch tail from behind.

People will do what makes them feel comfortable. I will never question your motives for doing something. I'll just admire your work.

The model is beautiful and you have captured her perfectly.

pauldh Loc: Melbourne, Australia

Isn't the Lens Hood (shade) meant to reduce or avoid lens flare? Maybe when lens flare is not an issue it doesn't matter if its stored but its handy and readily available.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I'm not really interested in how the camera faired. I do hope your wife did not suffer greatly. I hope she feels better.

Stephan G

It becomes simply a matter of convenience to most who do this.

It also reminds them to take the lens cap off.