Monday, April 5, 2010

Let Me Be Frank

OK, he's Frank (and yes, he's homeless), but I'm going to be frank, too.



Frankly, I'm so happy with this portrait. Why? Because it's in focus in the parts where it should be in focus, and out of focus where it should be out of focus.

One of the reasons I spent to much on this lens (50mm, f/1.2) is I loved the blur. But I quickly learned that the blur (called "bokeh") is tricky, and more often than not, an ear's in focus and an eye is out of focus. Or a lip is in focus, and not the eye. I've tried to learn how to wrangle this lens, but the results have been inconsistent.

But this is what I was looking for. I love the look, and I'm going to spend a lot of time trying to replicate it. I wish I were better, or knew what questions to ask in this area, but I'm not and I don't.

So, I'll take the little victories when they come. I count this as one of those.

2 comments:

The Rogers Clan said...

Whatever the inconsistencies are, this one turned out beautifully. Keep practicing so I can see more pictures!!

Jonderson said...

I love that lens too, and the trick for me seems to be changing the distance from the subject. With a fast lens like that you can pull back a bit and crop the image afterwards without losing noticeable image quality. Play around with that a bit and see.

Great shot!