Sunday November 6, 2011

Little Girl in a Tiny French Market

The Future of Photography???

As far as the photo below is concerned, would you guys find this photo-viewing experience to be better if you could change the focus? (you know, by clicking around different bits of the photo?)

Daily Photo – Little Girl in a Tiny French Market

There was a small market in France with all sorts of little wonderful objects. Little fanciful things rested and leaned here and there. I had a lot of fun moving around with my 50mm to grab shots as I peeked and poked about. I chose to compose this scene in just this way and focus in just this manner.

I believe the shot below tells just enough of a story, and sets up just enough of a scene to let the a wandering mind wander…

Am I just a romantic that likes to do things in this way? Am I a fuddy-duddy that finds the idea of people re-focusing my shot as they click about to be “tech for the sake of tech?” Maybe I am…

Little Girl in a Tiny French MarketThere was a small market in France with all sorts of little wonderful objects. Little fanciful things rested and leaned here and there. I had a lot of fun moving around with my 50mm to grab shots as I peeked and poked about. I chose to compose this scene in just this way and focus in just this manner. I believe the shot below tells just enough of a story, and sets up just enough of a scene to let the a wandering mind wander…Am I just a romantic that likes to do things in this way? Am I a fuddy-duddy that finds the idea of people re-focusing my shot as they click about to be "tech for the sake of tech?" Maybe I am…Read more here at the Stuck in Customs blog.

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See more photos from France, Nikon D3X, Paris

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  • http://www.focusatinfinity.com/ Richard

    I guess that’s the Lytro camera we’re talking about? I don’t like the idea much. I think a photo should be a photo… the vision of the photographer and not be subject to the whims of some random viewer. But that’s just me. I seriously would have no interest in taking photos like that.

  • https://plus.google.com/u/0/100265717320622923616/posts?hl=en Bill Dodd

    These little toys are really interesting for some reason. So very delicate.

    Man, everyone’s heralding the light-field cameras as the next big thing. I preordered one but I suspect you’ve actually used one. ;)
    The few times I’ve taken shots that were improperly focused at a low f/number, it was always really obvious at glance of the viewfinder. I just refocus and shot again. That digital film sure is affordable.

    I dunno, it may be convenient to fix messups in that respect but when it comes time to publish a photo, I don’t really want someone else changing it. The way I sent it out, is the way I saw it.

    The other thing that really hangs with me here is: How frequently do I share something from my camera, right out of the camera with no post processing. I don’t really think the the ability to move the focal point around adds enough benefit considering the loss of postprocessing of the natural lightfield capture file.

    ..And it’s so dang low res right now, will I really want to bother post-processing a “still” carved out of the light field camera? nah.

    If I’m looking at a photo THE Trey Ratcliff took on the other side of the world, standing at some remote location after a serious hike. I think I just need to leave the idea of changing the focus and enjoy the benefit of what he saw. just my 2 cents.

  • http://rsathya.wordpress.com Sathya

    If ur referring to the Lytro, I think it needs a lot more refinement. First thing it might not allow me to communicate what I want to portray in a shot. So might not be useful all cases. I feel it is a good additional functionally to have in a camera, when like capturing the entire dynamic rage, this helps capture the entire landscape and later allows for different focus areas … but I would not replace my camera anytime with Lytro …

    p.s : May be in shot it might have helped u move the focus area back to the eyes :)

  • http://www.tlinn.com t.linn

    When I make artistic choices with an image I’m hesitant to allow them be manipulated into something else. Having said that, I think there is a place for the Lytro camera. My niece is a good volleyball player. I’d love to take the Lytro w/ its f/2 zoom lens and zero shutter lag to one of her games. How awesome would that be? Viewers could re-focus on whichever player they wanted to pop out of the bokeh. Or my son’s flag football games. Getting the right kid in focus can be a challenge. I’d love to be able to share images with all the parents and allow them to view their own child in sharp focus.

  • Susan

    Cute little figure in this shot – it’s true that there are alot of little things we miss in photos – but I don’t know that I’d have the patience to search around!

  • http://www.kelleybard.com Kelley Bard

    So that’s the Lytro camera that everyone was spotting in the background at the last hangout! (heeheehee). First, I like this photo, it’s delicate and warm and cutesy without being sickeningly cutesy. I like the idea of being able to adjust a focusing mistake in postprocessing, but I don’t like the idea of people being able to change around another artist’s photo after it’s been published… that doesn’t seem to work with my idea of art. Although photography is constantly changing and evolving, I think that may be too much intrusion into the artist’s vision.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/35422436@N06/ George

    Cute pix. I love it. At first glance it seemed the little doll is right in the center. I thought “that can’t be. Trey never puts the person smack dab in the middle! (I’ve just in the middle of reading you composition book.) If you measure it though, her nose right about at the phi mark. So I it’s an optical allusion you have created. That dark area to the left doesn’t seem to exist at first.
    But it works.

  • http://www.stillglimmers.com Roman Betik

    I don’t like the idea of changing the focus by my viewers, for me (as a photographer) at the other hand, it could be useful. The final photo should be just the way the photographer wanted it and that’s it:).

  • Vicki Wilson

    I took a look at the Lytro website and at this time, no I am not interested in this camera. The concept is good, but it looks like their example photos are poor quality. If I want to play with soft focus I like the effects of a lensbaby composer lens on a traditional camera better, I want to share what I see as an artist if I am showing an out of focus effect. What would be really cool is a camera that let’s you see the entire light field as your eyes see it, but in a real 3D experience, just as your eyes truly see the scene, everything coming into focus as you look around the scene, objects near and far.

  • http://JapanDave.com David LaSpina

    The new technology that lets you change focus in photos is interesting. But we’re not quite there yet. It requires special software to view the photo, right? Or at least Flash or something. What I mean is it’s not as simple and straightforward as a jpeg.

    The idea is neat, tho, and I look forward to seeing where this tech leads. I don’t know if it will be all that interesting for just focusing on different parts or narrowing and widening the depth of field. Fun, sure, but the fun will be shortlived and we will quickly tire of it. But more artistic uses might be very interesting. Example: Have the default state of the photo be set to a very narrow dof focused on something in the foreground. Hide a message or something in the blurry background, and so tell a story by having this surprising message pop into view when the viewer refocuses the scene.

    As a photographer, this tech both scares me and excites me. But like I said, I look forward to seeing where it leads. You didn’t mention your opinion. What do you think of it, Trey?

  • Gail Moshier

    What a cute little girl in the photo, interesting, Trey. Thanks again for sharing. Have a wonderful Sunday!!! :-)

  • http://www.stuckincustoms.com Trey Ratcliff

    Thanks all – interesting discussion…

    well, you can probably see where I stand on the issue. I love technology and photos, and I’d like to think I’m a pretty good student of human nature. I don’t see their primary use-case of people clicking-on-photos to change the focus to be something that people would want to do.

  • Clay Tyg

    I look at your photos to see the world through your eyes. It is like watching a movie the director chooses who/what to focus on, not the viewer or actors in the scene.

  • http://eeyoresramblins.blogspot.com/ Larry

    It seems to me that the ability to refocus anywhere within the frame might be useful for some things, like fully documenting the details in a room at something like a crime scene or something, but it just doesn’t seem like art. More documentation than art. Someday, somebody really good with it might be able to turn it into an art form, but not there yet, IMHO.

  • http://www.rodmelotte.com Grinder

    I only have 7 words – not feelin’ the love of today’s photo! nuff said (those didn’t count)

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/41279036@N06/ Stephen Froehlich

    I think that Lytro will very quickly change the economics of achieving good bokeh. While there are some times that *I* would want to play with the plane of focus or depth of field, I don’t think I would publish many photos in a format where someone else could play with them.

    What remains unclear is how much resolution Lytro trades for depth information.