You would probably throw many of mine away, as I now consciously use blur as a creative element. It has a lot to do with spending over a decade photographing water, and I have more recently realised that it is a reflection of my own imperfect vision. I’m interested in how something feels, not just what it looks like. I still tend to hold on to some sharpness, but then I have spent a lifetime looking through one lens or another.
Michela, I probably wouldn’t throw them away anymore — that’s exactly the point. I’m increasingly interested in photographs that describe how something felt, not simply how clearly it appeared. Blur can sometimes get much closer to that.
Spot on. I've also moved on from the traditional photo club image styles, and national/international competitions which folk enter seeking more letters after their names. Conceptual, contemporary, different, art - whatever. That's where I am now. I combine images, deliberately blur shots, photograph things that traditionalists don't even notice, and so on. My screensaver randomly displays images from my huge collections. I've taken to digging out whatever shot is on my screen when I walk into my study and reworking them to create something new.
Brian, I really like that idea of going back to older images and seeing what else might be hiding in them. Once you stop judging photographs by the usual rules, a lot of pictures you might once have dismissed can suddenly become interesting again.
The photo touches something deep and hidden so it resonates at a base level. Love it
You would probably throw many of mine away, as I now consciously use blur as a creative element. It has a lot to do with spending over a decade photographing water, and I have more recently realised that it is a reflection of my own imperfect vision. I’m interested in how something feels, not just what it looks like. I still tend to hold on to some sharpness, but then I have spent a lifetime looking through one lens or another.
Michela, I probably wouldn’t throw them away anymore — that’s exactly the point. I’m increasingly interested in photographs that describe how something felt, not simply how clearly it appeared. Blur can sometimes get much closer to that.
Spot on. I've also moved on from the traditional photo club image styles, and national/international competitions which folk enter seeking more letters after their names. Conceptual, contemporary, different, art - whatever. That's where I am now. I combine images, deliberately blur shots, photograph things that traditionalists don't even notice, and so on. My screensaver randomly displays images from my huge collections. I've taken to digging out whatever shot is on my screen when I walk into my study and reworking them to create something new.
Brian, I really like that idea of going back to older images and seeing what else might be hiding in them. Once you stop judging photographs by the usual rules, a lot of pictures you might once have dismissed can suddenly become interesting again.
Love it. Great post. Wabi-sabi is my favorite photography tribe. It's an awesome way to literally revisit and reimagine thousands of files.
Exactly, Juan. That’s one of the things I’m enjoying most about this shift — suddenly the archive feels full of possibilities again.