Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/01/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]><<But I'm always far more concerned about the "in focus part" and whether >itmakes a good picture to start with! The out of focus is just the fluff>> > >I've heard this argument before and never accepted it. >Unless you blank out the defocused areas of your >pictures when you print them, they are just as much a >part of the image as the focused areas. A true >professional is concerned with (and controls) the >entire image, often picking a lens and aperture setting >to control the overall effect, including using DOF >control to "focus" attention on the subject. Getting the subject >composed and in focus is Photo101 and >just the first part of the equation. >..Randy " A true professional is concerned with (and controls) the entire image" BS! You might do this when you have your RZ set up on a tripod shooting a multitude of Polaroid while telling the model "tilt your head 1 degree to the left" I shoot stuff under tightly controlled studio conditions on a daily basis. The entire vibe of M photography is the opposite of that. When you're standing there holding your M camera and the lights not so great and the subjects moving and the whole scene is about to go away, you may make a decision about aperture and speeds based on some vague desire to effect OOF areas. But if you're thinking about that too much you're not seeing your picture enough! You're worrying about a minor technical detail that you really can NOT control under normal conditions. The distance to the subject from the camera, the distance of the background from the subject and camera and the light thats there has more to do with it than anything you THINK you're controlling. In most cases where you're using an M camera, the situation has way more control than you. You just get to stand there and deal with it. Yes, there are situations where you might predict "bokeh" But you're just guessing! All you can work for is that it will be out of focus in some way. You'll not make a good picture with just bokeh. That alone won't do it. And you can't just order it up unless you do it in Photoshop. ><<But I'm always far more concerned about the "in focus part" and whether >itmakes a good picture to start with! The out of focus is just the fluff Absolutely correct! Henry Ambrose