blurriness in portion of art photo

[celksy]

Hi All,

This is my first post and I hope I can explain my question.

A brief background and explanation: I am very new to art photography and have been experimenting with photographing everyday, usually natural objects and cropping/editing them to reveal the interesting compositions I see in them. Sometimes the results end up being quite abstract- not looking like the original objects but like something else- or like nothing really definable.

I have taken some of the best of these and had them printed, matted and framed. I have recently gotten back a very large print of one of my favorites and I've noticed something in the print I hadn't seen on the computer: a large portion of the print is rather blurred. Now, I don't mean to say that this necessarily doesn't "work"- although it's not the background that's blurred (there is no background, really.)

The photo reads sort of like an impressionist painting, which is what I wanted but I'd like to know if you think that having a portion somewhat blurred is necessarily a not-great quality, when the rest of the photo is in sharper focus and shows more detail.

I mean, in some ways it would make more sense if all of it was blurred (or none of it was blurred, of course) but what if only part of it is? I think it suggests motion--, in a good way-- but my husband, whose opinion I respect, is left feeling a little uneasy because of this.

Thanks for any thoughts or ideas you can pass along.

If there's another sub-forum this would better be posted under, let me know.

[Mad Aussie]

Without seeing the photo in question it's really quite impossible to give direct advice here.

However, generally speaking ... it's still hard :)

Having part of your subject blurred is common and quite acceptable depending on the subject and composition. Aperture, zoom, and how your subject is positioned in relation to the plane of your sensor all have an effect on this.

There are some things that rarely should be blurred though, a persons eyes for instance, especially if that person is the main subject.

In the end though, photography is very, very subjective and what works for me won't always work for you etc.

[Marko]

I'm with MA here - there is no rule...we'd need to see the picture to offer proper advice.

[Andrew]

In art there are many different opinions about what is good and what is actually art. There are also just as many opinions about what is photography and what is computer programming. It's all what keeps things interesting I guess. Motion implied in photography is quite common. Panning with a fast subject, holding still on the background while the subject moves through the frame, making unreal looking waterfalls using ND filters, etc, are all means to show speed. There was a recent thread here about movement in the shots. Is it art? Is it play? We all have our own opinions. Some photography that goes for lots of money isn't worth a second look to me.

In the example you refer to I'd have to say no, it's not art. In fact per your own admission it's just a mistake. Painters just don't throw coloured oil at a canvass and hope the Mona Lisa appears. Had you planned and executed a concept or idea you had preconceived and managed to capture the moment then it may have been art,,,to you. And that's good. Nobody can tell you what you do or do not like to look at. That's not what you did in this case though and didn't even recognize the visual until after the fact. It's just blurry.:rolleyes:

[Iguanasan]

In art there are many different opinions about what is good and what is actually art. There are also just as many opinions about what is photography and what is computer programming. It's all what keeps things interesting I guess. Motion implied in photography is quite common. Panning with a fast subject, holding still on the background while the subject moves through the frame, making unreal looking waterfalls using ND filters, etc, are all means to show speed. There was a recent thread here about movement in the shots. Is it art? Is it play? We all have our own opinions. Some photography that goes for lots of money isn't worth a second look to me.

In the example you refer to I'd have to say no, it's not art. In fact per your own admission it's just a mistake. Painters just don't throw coloured oil at a canvass and hope the Mona Lisa appears. Had you planned and executed a concept or idea you had preconceived and managed to capture the moment then it may have been art,,,to you. And that's good. Nobody can tell you what you do or do not like to look at. That's not what you did in this case though and didn't even recognize the visual until after the fact. It's just blurry.:rolleyes:

Careful about trying to describe art. Just saw a blurb on the news tonight about a monkey that's currently making hundreds of dollars per painting. He likes to use his hands, feet and tail to paint on canvases and they sell like hot cakes.

[Andrew]

On another thread about a week ago I eluded to the artsy-fartsy crowd that ran galleries and count monkeys, elephants and Andreas Gursky as top artists. The problem with most of the overnight genre artists and their promoters is that tides shift fast in that world and what hangs on a wall today could be lining the bird cage next month.

[JustinRyan215]

Careful about trying to describe art. Just saw a blurb on the news tonight about a monkey that's currently making hundreds of dollars per painting. He likes to use his hands, feet and tail to paint on canvases and they sell like hot cakes.

But people are also stupid....

[celksy]

I find this dialogue interesting, although I'm sure that to some of you it may be tiresome. Personally, if I like a photograph, the value wouldn't be diminished if I found out a blind person took it by accident.... on the other hand I can appreciate something that's been carefully crafted. After reading a some responses (which I respect, don't get me wrong :) ) maybe I should just slink away..... but I'm going to go ahead and show my partially blurry image.

There may certainly be reasons other than the blurriness why this is not a "good" (help me find a better word here!) image - so have at it. :)

"Japanese Tree" It's composed of some type of fungus, I guess, and some icky brown stuff on the north side of an old resort hotel.

[kat]

IMO, blurriness is great in many ways. For me though, with this image, I would of liked to have seen something that captures the eye specifically (the focus point) and then the blurriness wouldn't be a problem. Where this photo, to me, seems in whole an abstract, I would of liked it all in focus. But then again..it's personal preference. :)

[Mad Aussie]

From what I can see you have focused in the bottom right corner somewhere and the aperture was a bit too open to allow a decent depth of field creating the gradual blurriness as we look across the photo to the top left. This would have totally worked if you had been right down low and looking across the subject because then the blurriness would be in the background and helped to isolate the part you focused on more. Hope that makes sense.

[Andrew]

This hasn't been a tiresome dialogue but it is a good example of why you should give as much information as you can right up front if you want helpful input from your peers in this style of work. Not posting your photo at the start and posing visual related questions made it hard to answer as the the first couple of responders found. Had you provided the photo in your first post you may have drawn in like-minded people and you may have received some input you could work with. You may have missed some valuable suggestions from visitors who took a look the first day but now don't go past the title of the thread. Don't slink away, work with it.

[celksy]

Andrew,

No choice but to take my chances that I've missed feedback I might've had if I had posted the image a couple of days earlier..... or days or hours earlier than that. I took the image months ago, and it's taken what it's taken for me to study it, wonder about it, formulate questions, and, yes, address my silly little vanities.

On the other hand, I'm pretty confident that the feedback I've gotten (and maybe will still get-?) has been well-handled by those who return to the board and do re-read some of the forums they've posted on. And as you pointed out, it's not Mona Lisa. And it's doubtful that my career as a brilliant artist hangs in the balance. So I'm grateful with what I get.

As to my "tiresome dialogue" comment, I just meant to indicate that I hadn't intended to start a, "what is art, and what isn't art?" question with my image or my questions. Although I find that whole topic fascinating, I recognize that it inflames people and tends to polarize quickly.

I do so appreciate how helpful you've been and I am flattered by your interest. Cheers! :)