Being too perfectionist?

[Sherlock77]

Yes, this is related to visual arts

Recently I was sitting in front of my friend's coffee shop and snapped this fairly candid photo...

The bread itself looked awesome!

My assessment when I got home? Right away I noticed how soft the man is (focus I mean), and all the focus went to the building behind, I can see it immediately, why I decided not to edit this one...

Being my friend's coffee shop I did a basic edit, and messaged her a copy of it, and she loved it! She did post it on her social media and it has been very well received...

To be honest, I wasn't planning on posting it on my social media, and had simply expressed to her that I didn't like the area of soft focus (I still see it!), but thought I owed it to her to at least pass on the photo

Makes me wonder if I'm too picky, yet I feel like I need to be picky for what I want, or do I need to allow for some imperfection perhaps?

 

[Sherlock77]

Another one from this week that is bugging me, I thought it was an interesting scene/moment of street photography, but I did a dreadful exposure, plus that guy walking behind, can't believe I didn't pick up on that... A black & white conversion might work just that I want the colours here... Street photography is one of the most difficult forms of photography, catching candid moments just right...

 

[Judge]

Makes me wonder if I'm too picky, yet I feel like I need to be picky for what I want, or do I need to allow for some imperfection perhaps?

One perfectionist to another, IMO you can never be too picky regarding any kind of visuals connected with photography.

Though as for critical depth of field considerations, perhaps all you can do is to restrict yourself on the f-stops you choose to take those impromptu shots of people.

To confine your camera's focus to a range of larger aperture settings rather than smaller ones which may capture too much of an urban background so prominently.

Another one from this week that is bugging me, I thought it was an interesting scene/moment of street photography, but I did a dreadful exposure, plus that guy walking behind, can't believe I didn't pick up on that... A black & white conversion might work just that I want the colours here... Street photography is one of the most difficult forms of photography, catching candid moments just right...

Agreed, trying to capture those impromptu human moments remains a fundamentally difficult task. Where more often than not, perhaps the best thing to consider is to always be prepared to bracket the shot to see if one frame provides you with a better angle than others.

And to be mindful of the consequences of shooting against much of any reflected surfaces. Where being at an angle towards your subject will always be a better choice.

Of course if I personally really wanted the shot given the subject leaning on the fire hydrant, I would have probably edited out most of their reflections using Photoshop. Bringing "Mohammed to the mountain" so to speak.

For some Photoshop is "cheating". For me it's just a tool to improve on circumstances beyond one's control at a particular moment.

 

[Sherlock77]

@Judge

I know what you mean, yet I saw this comment by someone who is an artist (on my friend's post)

Really encapsulates a place and a very specific time, of course, and epitomizes the grassroots efforts of some intrepid collectives to nurture their communities beautifully in a time of uncertainty.

Which infers that to certain people there could be a deeper meaning than just technical aspects that I see and dislike... I will likely never put this photo into a Covid-themed gallery show I may or may not ever have, yet...

 

[Judge]

I will likely never put this photo into a Covid-themed gallery show I may or may not ever have, yet...

I wouldn't either.

In the aftermath I don't think people are going to be in any hurry to relive this experience through photographs or any other medium. That's a process that I suspect will take time...

 

[Sherlock77]

I wouldn't either.

In the aftermath I don't think people are going to be in any hurry to relive this experience through photographs or any other medium. That's a process that I suspect will take time...

I have lots of them! Not sure what I'll ever do with them... Right now I am developing a photo essay for our camera club competition around that theme of Covid, love it or not...

Back to that first photo, it might also work better as part of a series of photos (ie. photo essay) versus just as a stand alone photo...

 

[Judge]

I have lots of them! Not sure what I'll ever do with them... Right now I am developing a photo essay for our camera club competition around that theme of Covid, love it or not...

Back to that first photo, it might also work better as part of a series of photos (ie. photo essay) versus just as a stand alone photo...

You may eventually find many historians clamoring for such photographs. To consider taking such photos for posterity rather than artistic merit. Suddenly you may have a market for such images.

Makes me wonder who the equivalent for Canada might be when it comes to historians like Ken Burns or Doris Kearns Goodwin. With Ken Burns and his award-winning commentaries, photographs are everything.