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July 7, 2010
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DOF ?.....Henri Cartier-Bresson at MOMA NYC

C’mon …  I disagree: “you can’t paint a blurred background…”

 Well… actually you can…  (Below examples - paintings by Gerhard Richter) 

What I’m questioning is this:   I’m not really sure that painting has anything to do with Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photographs… nor is the “depth of field” the issue…  (My opinion regarding DOF in HCB’s work is like asking what sort of film brand he used…. I think it’s more like do you like this flavor or that flavor - sort of issue)

I’ll grant I suppose that a larger depth of field coupled with selective focus might be construed as something like the use of a topic sentence in a paragraph…. It gives the reader a chance to figure out what the paragraph is (maybe) all about… but then again, that alone really doesn’t make a story does it?  

  • Lesende
    Reader
  • 1994
  • 72 cm X 102 cm
  • Oil on canvas
  • Catalogue Raisonné: 804
  • Gerhard Richter

  • Schlafende (Barbara N.)
    Sleeper (Barbara N.)
  • 1970
  • 39 cm X 38 cm
  • Oil on canvas
  • Catalogue Raisonné: 281
  • Gerhard Richter

jhnmyr:

I just came back from seeing an amazing exhibit by the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson at the Musem of Modern Art. I was lucky enough to get to accompany a few of my friends at Leica Camera and have a walk-through during closed hours.

The one thing that struck me after seeing hundreds of his photos is that not a single one of them features a shallow depth of field. With faster lenses being made, it’s easier than ever to feature the subject of the shot in focus while leaving everything behind it a blur, and while it’s immediately satisfying to look at, it definitely lacks impact from a storytelling perspective. I’m guilty of taking pictures that way, and I think I’m going to try moving away from it. (Interesting that Cartier-Bresson was also a painter, which would explain why every detail in the photo was in focus - you can’t paint a blurred background.)

this post may come off a bit highfalutin, but if you’re a fan of photography you should definitely check this exhibit out.


(via jhnmyr)

Notes:

  1. grofjardanhazy reblogged this from fromme-toyou
  2. alternrg reblogged this from jhnmyr and added:
    The Art Institute in Chicago through October 2nd 2010....adopt his technique for candid...
  3. petraford reblogged this from jhnmyr and added:
    suppose it’s entirely possible that I’m...trying to validate my own very modest f/3.5...
  4. timefortea reblogged this from jhnmyr
  5. mehhweh reblogged this from fromme-toyou
  6. chrisberns reblogged this from fromme-toyou
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  9. apostrophe9 reblogged this from fromme-toyou
  10. art-ful reblogged this from fromme-toyou
  11. matt-niebuhr reblogged this from jhnmyr and added:
    disagree: “you can’t paint a blurred background…” Well… actually you can… (Below examples - paintings
  12. kseldenphotography reblogged this from jhnmyr and added:
    some fantastic photographs....planning on practicing this when
  13. xxii reblogged this from jhnmyr