Re: Using Photoshop to blur the background (like shallow depth of field)

On Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:53:44 -1000, Scott W <biphoto@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

John Navas wrote:

I am reminded of one of the great benefits of shooting images with extremely
deep DOF in the digital age. You can always alter the bokeh effect today in
editing, making it as realistic as if you had used a shallow DOF when first
taking that image. You can even alter the lens design causing that bokeh effect
from the one you had originally used. But you can't go back and add detail that
you blurred away on the original image. This gives you infinitely more latitude
on what you want to eventually do with any image. Why throw away that detail
until you are sure it is something that you don't need anymore. That's my new
take on the subject.

Well put. I agree.


Well yes you would pretty have to agree, since blurring after the fact
is about the only way you will get the background blurred.

Scott

Huh. Really. I would have never guessed that from all the images
I've taken with my P&S cameras.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/2075747745_0b5837a79c_o.jpg

I guess I shouldn't have been able to get this photo at f/4.0
from a P&S camera. No critique wanted, it's just a snapshot of a
friend I was visiting. Nothing special about it. The camera has
f/2.0 available (2 full stops more) but I didn't like that much
blur because it destroyed the scene, totally losing that
structure in the background. Not unlike that other snapshot
someone posted earlier. Being able to see what that background
structure is becomes important so it wasn't just some unknown
blur. The viewer would be drawn to it trying to figure it out
instead of being able to vaguely recognize it and then quickly
dismiss it to look at the subject. It's another mechanism to
bring the viewer's eye back to the subject when they want to
wander out of the image instead. It also places the subject in
the proper context of the environment. As I said, I could have
blurred the background with f/2.0 so you couldn't tell what
anything was, but it would have ruined it so I used f/4.0
instead. My P&S camera must be broken I guess, according to you
and everyone just like you, just as ignorant, just as foolish,
just as misinformed and just as outspoken as you. I'm not
supposed to get any nice DOF field out of any P&S cameras.

By the way, you have to know how the human mind works to use
bokeh to your advantage. Otherwise its just a beginner's cheap
gimmick because they don't know what they are doing. Too much
blur and you may distract your viewer from the subject drawing
their eye away from the subject. Too little blur and your subject
is competing with the background. You have to know how to balance
it properly. Those who go on and on about how shallow of a DOF
they can get quickly reveal that they don't know first thing
about photography. It seems to be an extremely juvenile and
novice fad of late just to prove that their cameras must be
better somehow. People manage to convince themselves of anything,
no matter how wrong they might be.







.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Using Photoshop to blur the background (like shallow depth of field)
    ... deep DOF in the digital age. ... You can even alter the lens design causing that bokeh effect ... I've taken with my P&S cameras. ... blur because it destroyed the scene, ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
  • Re: Using Photoshop to blur the background (like shallow depth of field)
    ... deep DOF in the digital age. ... You can even alter the lens design causing that bokeh effect ... from a P&S camera. ... blur because it destroyed the scene, ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
  • Re: A Step Backward ?
    ... be a factor in determining the DOF. ... Hey, they're my cameras and my lenses and my films and my oh my, ... sensor size rather than allowing it to scale along with the other ... depths of fields if the pixel sizes were varied. ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
  • Re: P & S and depth-of-field
    ... with the small sensor. ... All of my P&S cameras are capable of f/2.4 or wider. ... ones from 6 years ago has an f/2.0 lens on it. ... DOF is a direct function of f-stop. ...
    (rec.photo.digital)