Re: [Leica] Bokeh - proven myth ?

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

Austin wrote:
>>I may want the background completely OOF so the image of his face is
framed by the OOF region, and it isn't distracting to the purpose of the
image I have a vision of.  That's just how I shoot, that doesn't make it
right or wrong...but I believe using bokeh to frame certain images is a very
viable technique.  It also gives the image a dimensional quality.
>
> For example:
>
> http://www.darkroom.com/Images/LABOWL02w.jpg<<<<<

Hi Austin,

This is a serious question and I'm not being a smart ass. I'm trying to
learn something here.

Quite simply I have never related to the effect, as it's put forward by some
very good shooters here.  I'm always looking at the content factor / moment
with never a thought about the effect of bohek, as bokeh happens just like
breathing, in particular when shooting primarily wide open.

Sure I use foreground to frame and do that kind of thing any number of
times, but I use it as a framing factor to enhance the scene and not because
of the bokeh factor. I also, without thought, know if I'm working with a 180
wide open and shooting people at close range, the bkgrd will be a mush of
colour or greys in B&W

Or whether one lens will provide a better bokeh or not. Wide open shooting
or nearly so, creates their own OOF areas in any event, so it's never been a
thought during any of my photography and maybe I've been wrong for many
years in not thinking about it.

When you're photographing your son, by the way I love the effect. My kind of
framing if you like, I'd be watching his eyes and the framing without any
thought about OOF areas.

The question is,  when you were shooting this photo or similar, do you have
the thought in mind of how the bokeh factor will look for the lens you're
using? As in a specific thought, "the bokeh will look great for this xyz
lens" ? And if all of a sudden you think,  "Oops, I better change to the XXX
lens for a better bokeh."

 "Do you deliberately change to a better effect length of lens?" And in
doing so maybe miss an excellent picture?

Maybe I'm wrong on this whole bokeh question simply because I can't get past
the thought that while I'm shooting an assignment that I'd be thinking about
the bokeh effect rather than concentrating on the precise moment for the
"perfect picture."

Or am I seriously missing something? Over to you my friend.
ted

Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant

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