softening

I remember when soft-focus portraiture was all the rage. Believe me, I shot my share of them. Glad that trend passed. Alas, the softness of photographic images can be magic. It's just not usually done with a soft-focus lens anymore. Whew.

However it is achieved, softness can be timeless, dreamy, ethereal. It can be comforting, wistful, melancholic. Softness can evoke all kinds of emotion.

I have toyed with so many photographic styles and techniques over the years, some of which yield beautifully soft results. From shooting out of focus to dragging the shutter capturing a soft blur of motion to using lenses like aLensbaby to shooting through water (as I did in the featured shot) to the wonders of post-processing, softness can come any number of ways.

Today share your tips or tricks on how you soften up your subject. Show us your vision of soft.

Comments

[Marcie]

A little softness in motion and blurr:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/5/25/a-toast.html
And here - just a little post-processing softness:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/5/28/cheerleaders.html

[Rebecca Weaver]

A soft dress, a bit of post-processing. Turned down the contrast and clarity and added a hint of white vignette. I liked the results.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56221446@N06/5758335613

[Alicia]

I went through a phase where I purposefully shot blurry photos. It's been a while since I've taken my camera out to shoot, but last night, I had the great desire to head to the Brooklyn Bridge (one of my favorite photo subjects) to shoot blurry photos at sundown. Here's one photo I shot, paired with another that is so true!

http://aliandsethinthecity.blogspot.com/2011/05/stories.html

I really wish I had a lensbaby though - that's my next dream purchase ;)

[gina]

i love love love my lens baby and am holding out for a tilt-shift...and then, i started playing around with the self timer on my camera for this shot for a self portrait project i am in. i have to say...it was fun!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16115376@N03/5330917116/in/set-72157625725531136

[Jennifée]

I'm one of those who dream of a lensbaby as well :) So glad it's almost summer - I love shooting the softness of sun on the water:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85057042@N00/4820226075/

[DebC]

Beautiful photos, as always.

[Jenni Bailey]

Soft always looks a little sleepy to me. Very restful and undemanding. http://jennibailey.com/?p=281

[Amy]

I really like doing reverse-lens macros. There's this wonderful softness to them. http://www.flickr.com/photos/15772313@N07/4625070562/ Sometimes you can get a really sharp shot, but mostly I like when they're just a little soft. So dreamy.

[Booski brown]

I had a soft focus phase too. I like them just a bit underdeveloped so it would look like it was coming out of darkness and also, a minute dab of vaseline on the lens created beautiful pics but this was all back in the 70's for me. I havent done any creative photography since then but this blog is making me want to see what i can do

[Doris]

Here's one of my favorite soft images. At first glance this one did not make the cut, but I liked the composition and loved what this image represented.

On the one year anniversary of adopting our dog Bentley, I remembered this shot and thought it was the perfect one for my blog that day. Bentley came from an abusive home and I love that he's walking toward me starting his new life.

http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/the-haw-river-ballroom/

[Pat]

I regularly shoot flowers with a soft focus using a number of different techniques. To me the outcome evokes hopefulness, joy, and serenity (to name only a few). One of my favorites techniques is to shoot behind stained glass. Here are a couple of examples.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7992043@N06/5772842720/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7992043@N06/5772842640/in/photostream/

[Misty]

I tried for the first time an out of focus shot that I really like.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontforgetthehorse/5708290691/in/photostream/lightbox/

[Debbie Ealer]

I love to lose focus ,,this one the focus is in the cup,you can see the tree reflection it,but the rest is a blur and makes it seem almost dream like

http://www.flickr.com/photos/debbsga/5727943294/in/photostream

[hillary]

it was only about 6 months ago that i realized i could shoot out of focus on purpose. i found freedom!

http://www.eyechai.com/blog/2010/10/12/photoflow-focusing-on-the-heart.html

[Wendy T.]

my new favorite way to get soft, dream-like pics is through the tiltshift option within instagram.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wendytienken/5717147013/in/photostream

[autumn sun]

i like to experiment with losing focus - like in this photo i took of spring blossoms earlier in the season.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5587683828/

[Through the Lens of Kimberly Gauthier, Photo Blog]

I took some pictures of an aspiring model and wanted a softer look so I took a photo of her reflection in a mirror and a photo of her standing on the other side of a glass door. It worked out beautifully...

http://www.kimberlygauthier.com/photography/california-bound-portrait-photography/5411/

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