Chasing bokeh: Fuji 50/2

deednets wrote:

Truman Prevatt wrote:

deednets wrote:

Truman Prevatt wrote:

deednets wrote:

Polybazze wrote:

The blur generated by the 50/2 looks good for me. A nice balanced level of subject isolation vs blurred background/foreground.

Lately I'm seeing to much blur as a cheesy effect to pump otherwise boring images/subjects (google for "russian mother photographer" and you'll see what I mean).

Elena Shumilova????

She is an architect by trade and uses a 135/2 on a Canon 5DII plus the occasional 50/1.4.

I have a lot of time for her as she just followed her children growing up in rural Russia. Frosty windows in a country barn might be cliché as, but hardly ever as elegantly executed

http://heartscribes.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Meeting-sunrise-by-Elena-Shumilova.jpg

Deed

Amazing shots. She uses Bokeh and often axial compression of the 135 to express her love and for her children and her way of life. Many of these images is why having the tool of generating a smooth creamy background can make an image.

My favorite historical example is W. Eugene Smith's "Walk in Paradise Garden." It was an extremely emotional moment for him when he raised the shutter and took the shot of his kids walking into the light. The narrow DOF and out of focus background was critical for this image to work.

http://time.com/37534/into-the-light-w-eugene-smiths-walk-to-paradise-garden/

There is a reason we have fast lenses. It is for moments like these.

Yes ... interesting shot you referred to /but sadly only reproduced in postage stamp size on that link you shared.

I also have - and use - the 56/1.2 on occasion and when I revisit the shots taken with the 56 on lazy days I wonder whether I should shoot more with that lens ...

Deed

A little larger.

https://www.lomography.com/magazine/259479-influential-photographs-the-walk-to-paradise-garden-1946-by-w-eugene-smith

W. Eugen Smith was a master a controlling background and foreground out of focus to highlight his subject. When Leica came out with a faster lens he had it.

Thanks for the link! Would have chased this up myself if you hadn't sent the link ... background a bit nervous for my taste, the leaves distract from watching the children but not enough to ruin the image.

Interesting as a whole I find it ... but not because of the "bokeh" ... a term I am sure wasn't used in 1946 in the West.

Deed

Actually according to what I found the term was not used until 1997. I know I never heard in formal training nor when I was teaching. However the concept has always been an integral part of photography. It arises between the interplay of the aberrations of a lens rather a single factor. There are specialized coatings that can be used to stimulate it.

How to stimulate a pleasant non distracting background while capturing a contes is an important tool in photographers toolkit especially in portraits and street photography. Some lenses just do it better than others. That’s the reason I use an older 50 crome my Leica. I never liked the newer 50’s. I like bokeh on the Fuji 35 f1.4 and the 56 f1.2. My favorite lenses for bokeh was the Nikkor lenses built especially with defocus control, 105 f2 AFD DC and 135 f2 AFD DC. They had a separate ring that would control the out of focus areas.

No exiif taken with my Mamiya RB in about 1978, 127 f2.4 a great lens.