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Cobwebs and Bokeh
As you will have worked out from my previous posts, I’m a big fan of getting things out of focus. With out of focus images the subject is no longer important; it’s the end result that matters. One of my Fine Art images shows the exquisite spectra you get when sunlight at just the right angle goes through a cobweb. I decided to see what a single strand or just a few strands looked like. I used my OM-1 and OM System 90mm macro lens to give the biggest amount of magnification. I made sure the background was in shadow to bring out the maximum contrast. Defocusing the lens made…
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No contradiction about contre-jour.
I’m a big fan of images where the light comes from behind the subject. It’s known by the French phrase “contre-jour”, which literally means “against the day”. It’s great for producing high contrast, edge brightness, silhouettes, flare, glare and general photographic yummyness. On a recent trip to Portland Bill, Dorset, the time of day was just right for me to stand in the shadow of the famous lighthouse and get the sun peeping through the lantern’s structure. I used my OM System 100-400mm lens to isolate just the lantern. I used a couple of stops underexposure to make the sky a bit moodier. A sycamore seed makes for a more…
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Sharpness is still overrated
I’ve posted before about how sharpness in images isn’t necessarily a thing to strive for. It’s often not great for portraits, sometimes not needed for landscapes, and not even compulsory for macro. Deliberately low sharpness can be achieved through various means, depending on whether the subject is stationary or moving. One great way to remove sharpness is to move your camera during the exposure. Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) can give impressionistic effects. These bamboo plants at Kingston Lacy house in Dorset were perfect for an ICM image. The stems had a strong structure in one direction, so that’s the direction I moved the camera. It was pretty gloomy in the…