Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Been watching the OoF area/Bokeh war and agree with Ted and Sal. Fill frames with interesting stuff. Minimize OoF areas. Sometimes OoF areas do prove pleasing and helpful, other times . . . In my experience, whether it's Leica, Nikon, Hassleblad, Sinar or whatever, there's the main point: the image in or darn near the plane of focus. I do my darndest to make the entire frame/print/transparency work with the intended message/feeling of the image. Guess what I'm trying to say, and saying badly as I re-read this, is that I photograph people, places, things, etc. OoF areas ain't my primary concern though they are part of my images -- no way 'round that. I try to create images strong enough to overcome any attention or distraction by or in -- okay -- Bokeh-enized areas. Probably my favorite use of OoF areas/bokeh goes back to my Nikon 500mm mirror days. With sports, scenery and even some portraits I learned how to do interesting stuff with that mirror lens. T'was fun; I worked that quirkiness, though I never ever went out to shoot OoF areas or Bokeh. The aberrational OoF areas, or Bokeh, served as a tool for use in the mirror arsenal of image creation -- nothing mystical; just a technique, style or tool used better and more effectively by some than others. Greg Rubenstein gcr910@msn.com P.S. A gratuitous anecdote: A local art school has run in its student newspaper a column titled "Who Farted." Featured there are incomprehensibilities from art critics 'round the planet about often equally indecipherable topics. Don't recall any Bokeh yammering, but shall check to see if the column still runs. If it does, expect me to submit some of we've been reading here about Bokeh. Alert me on- or off-list if you'd like your name(s) included or deleted before submission. _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html