Start stopping down

I’ve always been a fan of fast lenses. I enjoy a photo with a narrow depth of field in which the subject “pops” out of the background.

I say “bokeh” a lot.

But, I think maybe we’ve taken things too far. I’ve come to realize that while a narrow depth of field can make a good photo better, it can’t make a bad photo into a good photo.

So many photos (including mine) are nothing more than a demonstration of what a fast lens looks like wide open. Or increasingly, how good my phone’s computer can fake it.

For me, a portrait with a busy background benefits from throwing the background out of focus. Other than that, I’m starting to feel like we should start stopping down a little.