I like the soft focus one, (very much) as well. The comment about the "blur being too much" reminds me how each of us has different views of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable (what we consider "photography" as opposed to something else). For instance, *I* am biased against the non-photorealistic use of HDR (in fact, I think the term has been irreversibly corrupted by most of what is now called "HDR"). However, I recognize that some people actually like that kind of stuff and will purposely produce it. The same is true of people who only think of photography as properly expressed only through "realism" or for documentary purposes.
Recently, I have been realizing that I am drawn *a lot* by impressionism and subjective photographic imagery. (For example, there is a whole new way of looking at the world when you open the door to multiple-exposure photography. Those multiple exposures can be a combination of in-focus and out-of-focus shots that can produce some really beautiful, painterly effects in-camera.) I realize that my hatred of "dialed to eleven" HDR is somewhat at odds with this understanding about myself and my appreciation of the subjective and impressionistic. I guess I will have to apply the words of Walt Whitman: "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes." I think that the old "soft-focus" lenses and diffusers are clearly a step in that subjective direction. They may not be everyone's "cup 'o tea", but in the end the only person our photography *needs* to please is ourselves. Soft focus lenses are a tool, like any other. They can give a variety of effects in different light and at different apertures. We may not like all of the effects it produces, but enjoy some of them (for certain applications) very much. We may dip our toe in the water or find ourselves submerged in the exploration of any one tool or technique. Some of us may avoid limiting ourselves to any one style, tool or technique because we crave variety. Others may enjoy a more systematic analysis of one tool or subject before moving on to something else. Most of us are probably a little of both at various times... or maybe that's just me. A bit of a ramble... I'll stop while I'm behind. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
