I find all of these portraits frustrating to look at.
They are stunningly good shots of wonderful subjects, caught mostly in engaging
eye contact and interesting expressions.
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/Others/Manley/Andean_Portraits.htm>
But OTOH, they are technically so much less than they could/should be. Done right, they're the stuff of National
Geographic covers, NY gallery shows. Even the backgrounds of three are perfect! (and the other correctable)
The very shallow DoF on the Shepherd has managed to leave his cheeks in wonderful focus, his eyes and nose out of focus.
I know, you do this a lot, and say you like it. I still feel that the general portraiture rule is valid. If the eyes are
obviously visible, and particularly if they are looking at the camera, they should be in focus.
You've argued before that some other thing is the real focus of the image. With Shepherd and Farmer, there isn't
anything else - it's all about the face. They are people, we are people, and people relate to each other through the eyes.
Shepherd has such a sweet face, add clear eyes with a little sparkle, and I
just melt, almost can't tear my eyes away.
Personally, I don't like big, blurry noses sticking out toward me, but I
suspect that may be less universal than the eyes.
Then, the Farmer's chin is what's in focus.
OK, the knitter's knitting is interesting, but Knitter I is the same as the others, plane of focus between eyes and
nose, with neither in focus. I know you love shallow DoF. Might there not be subjects where it isn't the best thing to do?
Well, I don't know what happened to Knitter II. Some kind of flare? In any case, there's a powerful portrait beneath
that veil. I made his knitting more in focus, too.
As always, I hope this is not just critical, but helpful.
Moose D'Opinion
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What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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