Have you ever had one of those moments where you have the camera up to your face, your eye focused through the viewfinder, and you’re just not sure what to focus on?
No, I’ve never had that happen to me either.
Well, OK, that’s not true. It happened to me just the other day. I was taking a break from the recording studio, where I was creating some new training videos (more on that soon!). I needed to get some lunch, but more importantly I needed some fresh air. So I headed out, with my camera in hand, of course. There had been some rain earlier in the day, so plenty of puddles could be found nearby.
As the later afternoon light started painting everything in sight with a warm glow, things started looking pretty cool. As often happens (at least for me) in photography, a scene presented itself to me that I wasn’t really looking for. It was a simple puddle in the gutter of a cobbled street, with the reflection of an apartment building illuminated by warm light revealing itself in the puddle.
I responded instantly, bringing the camera to my eye, zooming in on the puddle, and then… I needed to decide whether to focus on the street, with the reflection in the puddle appearing out of focus, or whether to focus on the reflection of the apartment, so the surrounding cobbles would be out of focus.
OK, sure, I could have set things up so that everything was in focus, but that definitely didn’t seem like the right shot.
I first photographed the scene with the reflection of the apartment in clear focus.
I felt like this was the right approach. But I was second-guessing myself. I wondered if perhaps the “opposite” shot was the right shot. So, I figured, why not capture both? With digital any extra frames are “free”, or so we tell ourselves. So I caved in and captured the “other” version of the scene.
Here’s the worst part: After reviewing both, I was still struggling to decide which was my preferred interpretation of the scene. My gut tells me the image with the reflected building in focus is the better image. But there’s something compelling about having the cobbled street in focus and the apartment building out of focus.
I’m still not sure…
What do you think? How would you approach this (or a similar) subject? Share your thoughts by commenting below…
Cut the in focus part out of one in and lay it over the out of focus part in the other.
Ari – That’s cheating!
The whole point was to make a decision about the area to focus on. So, if you can’t blend in Photoshop, which area would you choose to focus on?
Tim
I like the second one better. The bricks look great in focus. Neither one is bad, though. Nice shot!
Thanks for the feedback Mark!
I also like the second image with the cobblestones in focus. The first image, with the reflection in focus, bothers me due to the out of focus cobbles, and wondering, at first glance, what they were.
I like the second one better because you can tell that it’s a cobblestone street with a very interesting puddle. At least that is what my gut told me! The first one is purely abstract – also quite nice.
I like the second. I feel the brightness of the apartment building speaks loud enough,while the darkness of the street begs for attention.
Or just stack them!
I’m just an amateur, but I know what I like. I like the second one, in focus cobblestones. Thx for sharing!
I think the one with the building in focus is a bit mysterious – it takes a moment to see that it is a puddle and not a building with a funny roof. Mystery is often good – having said that, I prefer the second with the cobblestones in focus.
Maureen
They both look great but I really love the cobblestones in focus!
The second one. The building, fairly uninteresting by itself, provides a nice background to enhance the play of water and bricks.
Hey Tim,
Nice dilemma! I would have taken the photos in the exact same order because usually in a landscape the greater interest is in the distance, supported by some close-up elements. A near-reflection usually makes for an interesting and unique photo of a distant landscape.
So it really depends on what you want as the subject. Interestingly in this case, to my eye, the buildings are not as interesting as the cobblestone structure.
Picking one image of the two – I’d select the second which emphasizes the texture of the road, with a supporting element of the surrounding environment which is color of the buildings.
Nice job!
I like the second one….
Paul
Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts! I too ultimately favor the second shot. And what a fun dilemma it was! I enjoy exploring a subject and thinking about how I might interpret it, and I have also enjoyed reading all of the comments here. Great to hear what other photographers think about a subject, and always enjoyable that not everyone agrees!
Tim
Tim,
I would have tried to take shot #3, everything in focus. Don’t know if you would have been able to get it. But it seems just about everyone “says” to have the subject in focus and the rest out of focus, but what about if the entire picture (everything) is the subject?
Just a thought.
Paul
Paul,
A very good point. I could certainly blend the two images to produce that effect, and I certainly could have captured the image that way. But I did feel that a narrow depth of field was more interesting for this one. Otherwise I think there would have been “confusion” about where to look…
Tim
Hello Tim,
I agree that the narrow depth of field is the better way to go for this image. I like shot # 1 better because the building is more in the center and seems to dominate the image. It therefore seems to be the main subject. Shot #2 is an interesting one as well, but in order to have the cobble stones as the main subject I would want the building much more blurred, and perhaps smaller in the image. This may be difficult to achieve without some computer treatment.
Dietmar
I think the second shot has the best visual appeal. The photo was captured with enough depth of field to clearly define the building but the shot grabs me because of the texture of the stones. It reminds me of my years in Boston on the cobblestone streets.
I definitely think the second shot is best – it seems to appeal to my eye, though I can’t say why. However, both are beautiful.
Tim,
Imho, I think the stones and pavement are too fuzzy in #1. Just a slight bit more in focus, as the blurring is distracting. I think that if the approach chosen is #2, some reframing would be beneficial. I would include a bit more of the stones, and less of the pavement. I find it hard to focus on the stones, my eye keeps going to the big yellow blur!
I encounter this issue when taking tight shots of architectural elements and interior details. There is no correct answer – it all depends on what you are trying to say with your image.
I am not a food photographer, but I do enjoy looking at foodie pics. It appears to me that deciding on exactly where to focus is the driving factor in food shots.
John
Tim,
I would have done exactly what you did, i.e., shot it both ways. As for which one I would have ultimately selected, it would definitely be the second one.
Bob
The second one is more interesting with the contrast of the cobblestones and the gravel. The reflection is obviously a building so doesn’t need to be sharp but it provides a good break between the two defined subjects – cobblestones and gravel – without detracting from either. Your composition is very good.
I definitely vote for #2. I love the way you can see the reflecting color in sharp focus between the cobblestones. A tighter crop at the bottom may bring this out even more.
I like the second one. I like the texture and can see it is a puddle with a reflection in it. The first is a little confusing at least to me.
Tim
I think the second picture is the better of the two because many reflections are in rippled water and therefore are not sharp. In this case the water is still and the reflection is fairly sharp and that gives you the choice off where to focus. Nice Shot.
I prefere the second picture, more dramatic!
I like both them, but the selective focus in the second image is just right, because the emphasis is on the texture of the cobblestone; therefore, the reflection in the water is recognizable but not distracting and the diagonal angle is just powerful. Cheers!
Caroline
Tim, This is a delicious dilemma. While I prefer the second shot (the texture in the dark pavement and cobbles is richer than in the building), my brain enjoys the exercise of switching between the two photos. How about going back to the location and taking another shot that might connect/enhance these photos and printing them out as a triptych?
Cynthia,
Funny that you mention a triptych, as that is the subject of tomorrow’s Ask Tim Grey email newsletter! And as for revisiting that scene, besides the light having been pretty remarkable at the time, the puddles have also dried up. But if I can go back after some rain when the light is magical, I’ll work on this concept some more!
Tim
Well seen Tim, and yes I also like the second image best with the cobblestones in focus. The first image was too much of a mystery when I first viewed it.
The only thing that I feel that would’ve improve the second image would be to a slight ripple running through the reflection, such as you would get by dropping a small object in the puddle!
John,
Good to hear from you, and a very good idea! I’ll have to give that a try after the next rain. Hope you’re well!
Tim
Tim, Of the two captured, the first fails to work as it is not clear what the cobblestones are leaving an incompleteness impression. The second is good BUT, upon getting them up on my computer, I would regret not having other shots, still out-of focus but a little less so. Finding the right balance between mystery and comfort is really subjective and really challenging. Exactly the same issue as how undressed a model should be. Tantalize by finding the right mix of concealing/revealing.
This may make a case for video: start the clip with the focus on the apartment building, keeping the viewer in suspense for a while, then gradually shift the focus on to the cobblestones and leave it there for the viewer to resolve the suspense.
Not sure how I would go about this with a video enabled DSLR, though.
Tim, I can see why you liked this image with its shapes, light, contrast and balance plus the reflection. My approach would be to try a lower angle, choose an aperture so that all elements are is in focus, crop in tighter to minimize the pebbles and cobblestones, and toss a couple of pebbles into the puddle.
Bill Brennan
I find the first photo confusing. The building in the reflection is easily recognized as a building but the cobbles, being out of focus are difficult to recognize as any familiar object. It was not until I saw the second image that I was able to make any sense of the first image. As to which one is “better?”
I just don’t know. I like the second image because it is not puzzling but I spent longer looking at the confusing first image.
I suppose it depends on the intent of the artist.
Incidentally, I had a similar experience this past fall. I photographed a reflection of a fellow photographer, both ways and ended up choosing the slightly out of focus image of the photographer with the puddle surroundings in sharp focus.