The cult of sharpness: why the perfectly focused image is often the least interesting one

Sharpness is over-rated!

My images are full of movement and blur. They certainly wouldn’t win the average photography competition! And I’m fine with that.

The sort of image I prefer goes against traditional photography techniques. But I feel that images like this tend to have rather more freedom in them. They often express more emotion.

I worry that the cult of technical perfection stifles creativity

Judges of camera club competitions usually have a strict set of criteria that they must adhere to. Competitors have to display certain technical skills in order to be placed highly. 

The image featured in this blog has blocked shadow detail. There is no proper use of focus or depth of field. You can’t even work out the subject properly. If I wanted to win a traditional photography competition I would need to take a very different approach to photography. One that I would personally find much duller.

Let’s look at my image in a different way

Those trees are not blurred. They are moving. The darkness at the bottom of the frame is not a mistake. It is weight, mystery and darkness. What competition judges would be forced to mark as errors are exactly what give the image its feeling. 

A perfectly sharp version of this scene would have told you where you were. This version tells you how it felt to be there.

I think it is a great shame that photographers are not encouraged to experiment and play more.

Imagine of some of the great painters had adhered to camera club rules

They would have created a set of images that might be technically correct, but would not express the emotion that we see in great works. They would not have pushed the boundaries of what is possible. 

Monet didn't stop dissolving light because the Académie preferred crisp outlines. Turner didn't abandon atmosphere because it failed the technical tests of his day. They pushed forward because expression mattered more than correctness. 

I think photographers deserve the same freedom.

Both photography and painting are highly technical skills

I am certainly not suggesting that technical skills are not important in either pursuit. However, placing these above creative expression is never going true creativity.

Would you like to learn more about how you can improve your non-technical skills?

Check out my new book “A Deeper Way of Seeing: Developing Your Photographic Voice”