Bokeh...is the look getting dated?

[pwp]

We have all spent the past few years kitting up with lenses that will deliver sharp images at wide apertures and with smooth appealing bokeh. Such lenses are high on the "must-have" list. It's a look that I personally like a lot, as do most of my clients.

Interestingly, I've been getting an increasing, though still very occasional request in a job brief for total depth of field in subjects that my instincts would have delivered the now more conventional "look" of shallow depth of field and smooth bokeh. There is an old saying that everything old will be new again.

A brief, possibly flawed look through the photographic styles since WWII reveal a predominance of full depth of field wherever possible. Long lens work would be excluded here. I just wonder when the current desirable "look" will start to look tired and old fashioned. It will happen. It always does. Probably not anytime soon, but still it's worth staying skilled up in the art of making an image look good with a total depth of field.

We may well start grinding away at Canon to deliver lenses that perform superbly ay f/22. As ISO performance improves, shooting at f/22 with a good fast shutter speed is becoming a practical reality. Though not always a great IQ reality. Strong sales of Canons new tilt/shift lenses may push this trend.

As creatives, it's over to us to establish new looks, or at least to see the future coming and be ready for it rather than reacting once it's already run right over the top of us.

Just my thought for the day...

PW

 

[Loswr]

Re: Bokeh...is the look feeling dated?

Interestingly, I've been getting an increasing, though still very occasional request in a job brief for total depth of field...

Let us know when brides start requesting you to shoot with a Lytro plenoptic camera...

 

[briansquibb]

Re: Bokeh...is the look feeling dated?

Interesting that recent cameras are getting defraction earlier than older models.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Re: Bokeh...is the look feeling dated?

Interesting that recent cameras are getting defraction earlier than older models.

Diffraction is a lens property, and it is the same for a given lens, no matter what body you attach.

A High MP body has better resolution and can see diffraction better, but it is not any more or less.

 

[pwp]

Re: Bokeh...is the look feeling dated?

Interestingly, I've been getting an increasing, though still very occasional request in a job brief for total depth of field...

Let us know when brides start requesting you to shoot with a Lytro plenoptic camera...

Hah! What a concept. I suppose someone on the planet has shot a Lytro wedding. But there are no brides on my client list...

PW

 

[dr croubie]

How much DOF do you want?
50mm f/177 gives hyperfocal at 74cm, that's everything sharp from 37cm to infinity...
('sharp' being a relative term, of course)

 

[wickidwombat]

How much DOF do you want?
50mm f/177 gives hyperfocal at 74cm, that's everything sharp from 37cm to infinity...
('sharp' being a relative term, of course)

sharp as a bowling ball!

 

[EOBeav]

How much DOF do you want?
50mm f/177 gives hyperfocal at 74cm, that's everything sharp from 37cm to infinity...
('sharp' being a relative term, of course)

No. An aperture that size will not be sharp. Everything will have the same focus, maybe, but it will not be sharp.

 

[NWPhil]

Re: Bokeh...is the look feeling dated?

Interestingly, I've been getting an increasing, though still very occasional request in a job brief for total depth of field...

Let us know when brides start requesting you to shoot with a Lytro plenoptic camera...

had to look at that on the web - pretty cool concept.

I envision that one day, the digital cameras will take pictures in some sort of 3D vectorizing plane, allowing to choose the DOF in PP, just like it's possible to do with exposure, adjusting it thru lighting and curves parameters

 

[KreutzerPhotography]

Cool thought... It is important as photographers to stay ahead of the game... but his point is valad... how many people use iphone cameras with the vintage camera aps. the filters that are added to these "photos" (snapshots) are just "problems" with vintage film. and what they looked like as the film/prints would age.

I dont know that I'd expect deep DOF to be what will be desired in the future but the thought of creating an image that looks great at deep DOF could be a practice that could improve your photography and earn you clients.

This is a place that I am at in my photography. I am not used to WA lenses and have recently challenged myself to start shooting on my 16-35 (crop body). I feel "limited" by this lens but it is making me think more about every photo rather than snaping of a bunch of shots and hoping for the best...

Does anyone else have any "practices" they do to keep themselves on their toes?

 

[Random Orbits]

Re: Bokeh...is the look feeling dated?

Interestingly, I've been getting an increasing, though still very occasional request in a job brief for total depth of field...

Let us know when brides start requesting you to shoot with a Lytro plenoptic camera...

had to look at that on the web - pretty cool concept.

I envision that one day, the digital cameras will take pictures in some sort of 3D vectorizing plane, allowing to choose the DOF in PP, just like it's possible to do with exposure, adjusting it thru lighting and curves parameters

It'd be nice if they could get it to work well at fast shutter speeds. Want an HDR? Just process 1 shot and let the software deal with the math from near to far.

 

[NWPhil]

Cool thought... It is important as photographers to stay ahead of the game... but his point is valad... how many people use iphone cameras with the vintage camera aps. the filters that are added to these "photos" (snapshots) are just "problems" with vintage film. and what they looked like as the film/prints would age.

I dont know that I'd expect deep DOF to be what will be desired in the future but the thought of creating an image that looks great at deep DOF could be a practice that could improve your photography and earn you clients.

This is a place that I am at in my photography. I am not used to WA lenses and have recently challenged myself to start shooting on my 16-35 (crop body). I feel "limited" by this lens but it is making me think more about every photo rather than snaping of a bunch of shots and hoping for the best...

Does anyone else have any "practices" they do to keep themselves on their toes?

- using a manual focus lens - not just switching off the AF button
- leaving the zoom lenses at home
- taking "only" two lenses while out-and-about

 

[briansquibb]

Cool thought... It is important as photographers to stay ahead of the game... but his point is valad... how many people use iphone cameras with the vintage camera aps. the filters that are added to these "photos" (snapshots) are just "problems" with vintage film. and what they looked like as the film/prints would age.

I dont know that I'd expect deep DOF to be what will be desired in the future but the thought of creating an image that looks great at deep DOF could be a practice that could improve your photography and earn you clients.

This is a place that I am at in my photography. I am not used to WA lenses and have recently challenged myself to start shooting on my 16-35 (crop body). I feel "limited" by this lens but it is making me think more about every photo rather than snaping of a bunch of shots and hoping for the best...

Does anyone else have any "practices" they do to keep themselves on their toes?

- using a manual focus lens - not just switching off the AF button
- leaving the zoom lenses at home
- taking "only" two lenses while out-and-about

+1 Manual focus - tse-24, my was of choice
+1 Sometimes
+1 usually 3

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Many or even most people have a point and shoot camera with a small sensor, and a huge depth of field. I've bought little used DSLR's from many who just felt that it was out of focus due to the shallow depth of field, they preferred the everything in focus look.

So, I think you might be right, the average casual point and shoot person has been trained to expect everything to be in focus, and they are uncomfortable to the point of thinking something is defective with a shallow depth of field.

 

[wickidwombat]

Many or even most people have a point and shoot camera with a small sensor, and a huge depth of field. I've bought little used DSLR's from many who just felt that it was out of focus due to the shallow depth of field, they preferred the everything in focus look.

So, I think you might be right, the average casual point and shoot person has been trained to expect everything to be in focus, and they are uncomfortable to the point of thinking something is defective with a shallow depth of field.

of couse they will also be used to it all being soft, lacking contrast with piles of CA and noise too

 

[Loswr]

So, I think you might be right, the average casual point and shoot person has been trained to expect everything to be in focus, and they are uncomfortable to the point of thinking something is defective with a shallow depth of field.

On the flipside of that, that's why many people used to the deep DoF of a P&S think shots from a dSLR and a wide aperture lens are 'professional'.

 

[EvilTed]

and even more shocked when they discover good old vinyl sounds better than anything

I've been playing with a Fuji X-Pro 1 a lot over the past couple of weeks and while I don't think it can match the MK3 + 50mm F/1.2, it does have a distinct "look" that feels from another time in certain shots.

Maybe we are going to see more high quality Instagram type processing in-camera in the near future?

ET

 

[EOBeav]

Good points, these last few comments. For me, I knew I was ready to move up from a p/s to a dslr when I realized I couldn't control aperture the way I wanted to.

 

[DavidRiesenberg]

and even more shocked when they discover good old vinyl sounds better than anything

I think it's best to keep that can of worms closed.

Maybe we are going to see more high quality Instagram type processing in-camera in the near future?

I hope not. Instagram, as a collective is the biggest pile of visual crap that has seen the light of day since myspace. While there are many talented individuals who know how utilize it for gorgeous results, 99.9% is pure garbage and we really do not need anymore of it.

 

[dafrank]

Yes, everything old does become new again, if you hang out long enough. I have already. For instance, I was around at the end of the older era when cars were being shot with tungsten bounce light off giant studio canvas "tabs" or "bounce flats" and coved stage walls. Then, briefly, the in thing for a few years was to replace the tungsten light with that of multiple very powerful studio strobe power supplies, employing many flash heads. Then, the next trend was to shoot them with giant soft boxes in which were placed those same multiple flash heads. Then, the next one was to replace the flash heads inside the boxes with tungsten light fixtures. And finally, the best solution was thought to be to once again to shoot them with tungsten bounce light off giant studio canvas "tabs" or "bounce flats" and coved stage walls. There always have been alternate techniques (as are being employed right now) used at any given time which are different from the general trends described above, but that is a pretty good summary outline of studio car lighting technique, circa 1962 to 2012.

One contrary fact, as for bokeh, taken here as to be shorthand for actually the very narrow depth-of-field look afforded by lenses which are sharp at very large aperture settings (given the focal length and format size), shot at or near the maximum aperture, its use is far from universal; it's mostly employed for things like portraits, weddings, lifestyle, some food shooting and moody environmental images. Even conceding the "bokeh" trend, you might want to keep in mind that in 90% of all hardcore photography of manufactured products, maximum depth of field never went away and is still the presumed method of operation. Again, exceptions abound, but I'm referring to the rule, not the exception. I, myself love to introduce the narrow DOF look in some feature shots, and they're usually well received in those instances, but, as for the "hero" shots of these products, clients don't want to leave very much to the imagination of potential customers as to what their industrial designers have labored over for so long.

So to summarize about the narrow DOF look, yes, this too will come to pass. It's just a matter of time.