How many times have you returned from a shoot with some photographs you are really excited about only to find out they are out of focus. That’s always very disappointing and often frustrating. And it happens all too often to me. At the Joshua Tree Gathering this past March someone asked the question, ”How many ways can a photograph be out of focus,” and that got me thinking. This would be a fun article to write.
But let’s get something straight from the start. Not all ‘out of focus’ photographs are out of focus. They may not be sharp but that can come from two causes. They can actually be out of focus or they can be blurry. This may seem like a subtle distinction but it’s an important one. So let’s take them one by one and explore their causes and solutions.
But before we do, I want to make another very important point. A photograph that is out of focus or blurry is not always a bad thing. Often times the artist does it intentionally because that is his or her artistic vision. When it’s done intentionally to create an expressive photograph then it’s not only OK, it’s necessary. It’s when it’s unintentional that we get frustrated and loose great moments.
But now, let’s get into the details. We’ll talk about blurs first.
Continue reading “Mastering Sharpness – Fuzzy Photos”
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