The Case for Unsharp Images

[hdh]

H C-B has, as usual, the last word on the subject - 'Sharpness is a bourgeois concept'

Or in other words;

There is one rule in photography: 

        There are no rules! 

[John Mitchell]

H C-B has, as usual, the last word on the subject - 'Sharpness is a bourgeois concept'

 

Just like golf.

 

P.S. Sorry, golfers. It can be fun if you don't keep score.

[Betty LaRue]

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[Bill Kuta]

My soft head shots are generally due to softness inside my own head.

[Dyn Llun]

I have a number of fuzzy(ish) shots of of some of the big bands of the '70's. I used to take pics for the promoters at some big outdoor concerts, sometimes in horrendous weather. Several Nikons, (handheld), Ektachrome film, stage lighting, rain on lenses etc. etc. The pics were used well by the promoters however. One very rainy concert I was soaked to the skin and the 'last photographer standing' when Freddie Mercury took pity on me and 'posed' all over the place for me in his now soaked and almost transparent white leotard every time he drew level with me just below the stage runway. I got some great shots. On the same bill were Manfred Mann, 10cc, and others. Backstage afterwards was fun too but that's another story.................

I should have added, to address Ed's point, that I would not submit these to Alamy. (I retained a number of those images taken over a period of years for the various band's promoters. It was part of the deal I struck. Life was easier and freer then, bands less controlling). I have good scans made from a number of these and they have sold almost continuously for many years. They have now become 'interesting historical images'. They may well get through Alamy's archive route due to their history and subject matter but I'm afraid Alamy would probably license them for peanuts and devalue them. I get more, very much more, by keeping control of them and selective licensing. 

[TABan]

There's a recent post on TOP apropos of this: http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2016/02/does-sharpness-matter.html

[TokyoM1ke]

There's a recent post on TOP apropos of this: http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2016/02/does-sharpness-matter.html

Superb article and the comments are a great follow up.

 

Moving into the artistic, rather than stock world, I've decided to try to put technical perfection to one side and think more about the content... telling the story, like some I posted earlier this week: http://www.maudric.com/blog/2016/02/19/tsukiji-when-the-market-closes/). Clearly NOT something to even begin to consider for Alamy!