DEFOCUSED PHOTOS

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In 1999 I lived in Nagano, Japan, working as a photographer while my wife was working as a teacher. Every week I would take the bullet train to Tokyo, and spend time in the various subway stations learning the art of street photography. I was particularly taken with the odd and wonderful results of photographing people out-of-focus.



The results were often ethereal and dream-like; long skinny arms, legs, and necks, and due to fluorescent lighting, odd color balances.

To try this technique, always have your lens at the lowest f-number, and of course in manual focus. Overexposure is also important, as this type of photography loses it's appeal if exposed properly.

Have fun experimenting!
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NIGHT PORTRAITS

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

Even though this image is exposed normally, there is something about the quality of the light that tells you it was a night shot. If you are living in a city with traditional or old architecture, try doing portraits using the artificial ambient light that comes from streetlights and other sources. I have found that slight camera shake or lens blur adds a Romantic quality to the image that seems to be absent when the shot is in perfect register.

This photograph was taken in Hungary, which is blessed with Baroque, Art Nouveau, and Secessionist architectural styles. However you don’t have to travel to Europe for this type of image. Doors in old buildings seem to work well, as a door is an iconic image that is rich in metaphor, and is understood worldwide in poetic and philosophical terms. Try a few shots without a tripod and slight defocus. If the results are un-usably shaky, try a monopod or a tripod with a loose ballhead. Sepia toned B&W film seems to work well with these images, or if you are a digital shooter Photoshop has a sepia tone Action that you can play around with.

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