DrPablo wrote:

My wife (who is pictured in the first post of mine on the previous page) might object as well.

She's a very lovely young lady. Prolly far too lovely and young to put up with a crusty old curmudgeon.


I think you're missing the point. I'm not looking for critical evaluation of my pictures (whether or not they need it). I'm responding to your sentiment that there is no photo that needs both shallow depth of field and corner sharpness. Whether or not I've achieved it in the pictures I've shown, I'd argue that all these pictures are examples of shallow DOF compositions in which there is corner detail intended to be in focus.


No, I didn't miss your point. Your point is quite clear and is unassailable, because you stated that your intent was to have corner/edge detail in focus. You can't be wrong, because that is your artistic desire. You might consider, however, that a contrary artistic vision may also be valid.

That is why I do not find such shots objectionable, or believe the underlying concept to be a universal truth, even though you've told me that your intent was to present more detail for me to view. I don't care about that detail. I care about how the shot speaks to me, first and last. If it doesn't speak to me, it doesn't matter. If it does speak to me, it still doesn't matter. Well, it does matter if it were done with a canon FF....

I tend to side with this rather convenient quote.

"There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept."

-- Ansel Adams

BTW, I saw a billboard today, advertising a limited show of some of his work at the Detroit Institute of Arts, this month. I'm hoping to be able to attend one or more of the shows.

It's $10 a pop though. Youse guys would be wonderful, if you'd take up a collection to send an old curmudgeon, living on a fixed income, to see the work of a rather talented artist. Otherwise, I'll prolly have to eat cat food or something, to save up the money. It's too cold to panhandle on the street corners. Besides, all the good corners are taken.

$10... thats nothing. Its the airfare from Australia that throws me.

Kerry,

If that is the same Ansel Adams show that was in Boston about a year and a half ago it's really worth going. They had more than 40 original prints, including some of his most famous. There were some 8x10 contact prints of his that made my jaw drop.

If it doesn't speak to me, it doesn't matter. If it does speak to me, it still doesn't matter. Well, it does matter if it were done with a canon FF....


I agree with you. The result is more important than the concept.

And none of them were taken with a full frame camera. Though if they were, I would have picked my lenses accordingly to get the composition I wanted!