Different Focus

When I first took this picture, I have to admit that I didn't mean to focus on the flowers. My aim was at the men sitting against the wall, but I missed.  I retook the shot, with the focus being on the men themselves instead of the flowers, but for some reason, I found myself drawn to this version of the shot because there was a more compelling story that was emerging from this image.  Perhaps the inability to identify who these men actually were emphasized the common struggle that we all face these days.

Please share with us today images in which the object of or your choice of focus helped to shape the story you wanted to convey behind your photo.

Comments

[cigi]

It's subtle but I've always liked the clarity of the cobweb in this shot. I think it helps tell the story of my grandfather's typewriter far better than if I had dusted and prettied it up for the camera: http://instamaticgratification.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/04365-2/

[Jennifée]

The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland is kind of an impossible place to photograph - very impressive, but it's been shot so often before that I found it very difficult to take a photo that represented the place as *I* experienced it and not just as the tourist attraction that everyone sees. So the only shot from my visit there that I'm happy with is this one - where I focus on the grass struggling to survive on the rocky edge, with the cliffs themselves as the background:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85057042@N00/4894140191

[DorkyMum]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4879348749/

[Marcie]

Here - my focus was more on the birds and ducks....than on the little boy. Again -it's all about how you want to tell the story:
http://marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1316

[BlessedMess]

I purposely kept the couple sharp and in focus in the foreground while their slidedshow played as a vague backdrop. Having their present be the focus on their wedding day, but their memories, though fuzzy, now becoming their shared history.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12418609@N00/4945606634/

[giftsofthejourney (Elizabeth Harper)]

My photo was perfect for the story I needed to tell today.

http://giftsofthejourney.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/sorting-things-out/

[Morgen]

I caught this picture at the beach. I loved watching my son lead my husband around by his hand. I captured it directly, but I love this one the most. Like an instant memory.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bearsefamily/4799071564/

[Christine]

I love the off focus of the fourth picture. It's their secret little hideaway, and I love the feel it gives of them tucked back away, lost in their play.
http://homemadeinchina.blogspot.com/2010/10/close-to-home-escape.html

[kristyk]

I'm blind as a bat and can't function without my glasses. I took them off for this self-portrait and was unable to see to focus. Instead, I held up the camera and hoped for the best. I loved the way it turned out because the only part in focus was shot through my glasses... a perfect representation of me!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristyk/3193391820/

[Jen at Cabin Fever]

I was trying to capture raindrops and display just how much rain we've gotten in the past few days, but my focus shifted from the raindrops...

http://nekphotography.blogspot.com/2010/10/photo-of-day-forty-seven.html

http://www.cabinfeververmont.com

[Bettina]

i was trying so hard to get one of these baby roses in focus that i didnt even notice the others making the bluring effect in the foreground.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettina2/4884635282/

In this one i was trying to focus on the sheep, but it was so dark in the room, and camera indicated that something was in focus so i snapped... but ahhh it was the wine...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettina2/4884031707/

[WorthIt!]

I love playing with focus. I lived in DC for 14 years and was more interested in the blossoms blowing in the breeze than in the Capitol so, this shot was perfect.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52055227@N07/5047280197/

[michel]

I love your first shot and totally agree it works better this way. showing less in this case tells more.

my 6 pots reminded me of these guys today. thanks for sharing. I am inspired to shoot something with a different focus today.

http://www.wishfulthinkingblog.com/wishful-thinking/2010/5/27/6-pots.html

[sharon]

here is a pic the way i would normally take it of my son playing in his play gym - the focus is on him

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48873192@N04/5048458040/

and here i took the focus off of him and made it about the abstraction of the lines and shapes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48873192@N04/5048457926/

[Jess]

Here my baby girl disappears into the bokeh, perfectly representing what I felt as I chased her.

http://the-old-nichols-farm.blogspot.com/2010/09/togetherness.html

[shirley]

Oh, I had one last week, where the focus didn't end up where I initially wanted it to be, but it worked in the end.

http://www.shirleybehindthelens.com/2010/09/sooc-saturday-elusive-goal.html

[Audra Van Vliet]

Bow-tie necklace was a fun one. The little girl was so proud of it and when I asked her what it was, she held it out in front of her to show it off.

http://lastpictureshowphotography.blogspot.com/2010/09/softball-grunts.html

I love this one because I shifted the focus from her eyes to her pronounced and beautifully placed freckles. Maybe the most striking and photogenic person I have ever taken a picture of. I could do it all day. She was a complete natural, never done it in a day in her life. After a quick lesson, she was teaching me things. So comfortable in front of the lens.

[Masha Tkacheva]

I love this play with focus not on the main subject.
http://www.photoline.ru/photo/1238198891?rzd=au

[Tina]

There was so much foliage to focus on in this small scene. I picked the centre seed stem using my beloved 50mm lens. This 1.8 fixed little baby is my latest addiction♥
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74687897@N00/5039997048/

[Lauren]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18572605@N02/4100199611/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18572605@N02/4485839418/

[Deirdre]

I love to play with focus like this. I think that people blurred in the background always add some mystery and a storytelling feel. Here is a recent one of my mother on a walk: http://www.flickr.com/photos/superdewa/4998620113

Coincidentally, my friend Joellyn (SnapYappy on Flickr) and I just started a "Bokeh People" Flickr group today. The requirement is that there must be at least one person in it who is part of the bokeh. Please visit our group and feel free to add any photos that fit our vision: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bokehpeople/

[spread your wings]

this park is one i frequent often and it has very beautiful wooded pathways alongside a creek - very picturesque - but it was this simple branch hanging over the trail that caught my focus
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5048826367/

[Stephanie]

I have a very similar photo to yours. I wanted to capture the many locks on this bridge in Italy. I didn't notice the couple in the background until after the shoot, but it absolutely makes the photo. Their obvious love for each other illustrates the meaning behind the locks: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniecourt/4803932816/

[Tracy]

here's an example that worked well. kind of an obvious choice (birthday candles) but definitely meets the story telling criteria and love that the birthday boy's face is blurred but not so blurred that you can't see his expression:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31417716@N00/3591673169/in/set-72157619108289059/

[Sherralee]

I wanted the background to be soft rather than sharp to put the emphasis on the warmth of the hay bales and give the soft feeling of summer fading...

http://flic.kr/p/8skTB4

[Emily]

I really liked how the focus was on the playset and not my boys in the background. It made me that much more curious about what they were looking for:)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50911956@N07/5051750960/

[Kathy]

I love having something in focus in the foreground and a portrait out of focus in the background. Loves it!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrssoup/4926807808/

Especially if the portrait is making a fantastically hilarious face:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrssoup/4476716328/

[sarah]

To me, this says what fathers are so good at - the fun, strong, physical games that kids ADORE! these kids were clammering for their turn to be turned upside down by daddy. this photo makes me feel love, excitement,and youth!

http://sarahfieldphotography.com/wbblog/?p=2357