Manual Focus
It is not about R.T.F.M. (“read the fucking manual”), although before trying out a new device or equipment, I do focus on the manual, more-over to protect myself from straightaway ruining it, because all of the functions are not so easily to implement, the simple way it says on the side of the box and my impatience kicks-in, hard…
Manual focus was something all (pro)photographers did. Okay, at first, there was no other option but “Progress” had to have its way and soon became a totally accepted part of modern, even professional, photography.
One of the great press photographers in the Netherlands is Guus Dubbelman,
he has been awarded for many of his pictures.
Years ago he admitted that one of those was made “on auto-focus”, that news was a shock to the professionals; of not being true to the core…
To do something off the same for a long time, without consciousness thinking, it also becomes a kind of automation.
The same did occur with the use of the first video camera by a Dutch journalist/news reporter. For me, coming from a film-lab, this wasn’t also true to the core, quality would not (ever…)match film by a long shot, in the early 80ties. Our focus stayed on the analogue film, 16 & 35 mm.
After 90 years of being a main part of the Film industry, it all came to a halt in 2012, with no more film labs like Cinecenter and Cineco. Only Haghefilm survived (out of 8), but focuses now mainly on restoration & archiving film into a digital format.
Sometimes to be in focus is a hard thing to establish, to capture your subject sharply, because it can be on the move or in the dark, maybe a cat suddenly passes and triggers the auto-focus module…
Manually will put me in control over what I want to see sharply or not in the picture. At that point the subject will be leading, even dictating, to follow and keep up with it, in trying to stay “in focus” in the blink of an eye. Auto-focus is faster, but a philosophical friend of mine asked: “What you gonna do with all that extra time you’ve got?”
The difference between a nice picture and a great photo is often in the details.
Today it is almost impossible to focus on the daily news, there is just too much of it.
So, do we have to skip some parts before losing all oversight, are we then missing out or making a respective choice? Wrong/right or true/fake in a split-second decision, just focusing on the Headlines and thinking we “got the picture”, I’ll like to think I can.
The details here also can make a huge difference on the How & What
or the Why.
We can all read the same article but grasp it in many ways, focusing on the core of the matter may shed more light on the essence, but will take more of our time and “Grey-Matter” to understand it to the fullest.
For now I am focused on having a vaccination, soon! (hope you can too!!)
Luc van de Steeg / Amsterdam-Weesp NL