Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/02

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Bokeh is not nonsense
From: "Austin Franklin" <darkroom@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2002 22:42:28 -0500

Sal,

> The people I named,
> are friends, with whom I've seriously discussed photography. The word
> "bokeh" NEVER came up. It is a non-subject.

"Non-subject" to you and possibly the people you "seriously discussed
photography" with.  Did you discuss EVERY aspect of photography?  Every
single one?  I doubt it.  If you didn't discuss shutter speeds, does that
mean shutter speeds aren't important?  To me, and apparently many others,
bokeh IS a very important subject.  Because it isn't to you, and your 'buds,
doesn't mean it isn't important to others.

>     Secondly, you assume Ted & I do only "Gun & Run" photography. This is
> TOTALLY false. <snip>

And your examples didn't sound like shots that were "bokeh" appropriate
shots, perhaps they were, I don't know.  But I do know it is very image
dependant, especially for those of us who know and use this technique.  Some
people don't use the Zone system, but it exists, and in my case, enhances
some of my images greatly.  How about the Zone system, is that too a
"non-subject"?

> What you call bokeh, I call selective focus. Selective focus plays a
> part in everyone's work including Ted's and mine. No one is belittling
> another person's technique or concern over image properties.

I am going to guess you really don't understand WHAT bokeh really is.  It is
NOT selective focus.  It is how the out of focus is rendered.  COMPLETELY
different thing.  Did you even BOTHER to read the document I posted the link
to?

> No one ever
> bought, published or liked a photo because of "great bokeh."

You do NOT know that.  Because of "great bokeh", a particular image may have
been quite appealing to someone...just because they didn't make a comment,
or even know it was "great bokeh", doesn't mean it wasn't important in their
"liking" the image.  Geeze Sal.

> It is a non-subject.

Perhaps to YOU, but it's really arrogant to claim it's a non-subject for
everyone else, because, like it or not, it IS A subject for me, and
obviously some others.

Austin

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