Can deliberately out-of-focus photos still work if the subject remains recognizable?

Asked 2/19/2017

1 views

2 answers

0

I’m experimenting with intentionally out-of-focus photography, especially night scenes where lights and shapes are meant to suggest the subject rather than show it sharply. My goal is for viewers to still recognize the scene from the light patterns and overall form, even though the image is defocused.

In practice, how can I make this approach more effective? Does this style still need a clear subject or silhouette to anchor the image? If a viewer can’t immediately tell what they’re looking at, is that because the subject is too obscured, the background is too busy, or because motion blur is competing with the defocus effect?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

2 Answers

2

Edited after OP added "sample" photo they like. It seems to me that second picture carries very distinct silhouette of river bank (reminds me of Big Ben tower in London) and also a lot of rhythmic on light blobs. Your image (first) is more of strokes of light with subject obscured, it is much more abstract; plus ther eseems to be a lot of motion blur, not sure you really wanted that.

The trick for you, I guess, is to find subject that will remain recognizable after defocussing. Composing so that background lights are not overwhelming subject is very important (second image have basically flat background: water and sky). As an example of similar art, see this New Yorker cover. It is very low-resolution image, but if you know the original picture, you will recognize it. This "Aha!" moment is maybe something you are looking to recreate.

There is a lot of feedback in comments. I'd like to offer some help to OP though.

Quick googling by "out of focus photography" yields a lot of images, some of which are probably to OP's liking. More importantly, some of those images definitely have "special effects", tricks that make images stand out, but also interesting subjects.

To get opinion on this platform, you should state what you wanted to achieve. Then viewers can say, whether you achieved it, or -- more importantly -- how you can change your technique to achieve that result later.

So, it might be useful to attach sample image that you like and ask something like: "how do I produce that awesome effect of ..... ?" Or you might rephrase question to be something like: "I want my pictures to have X, Y, and Z, but can't get it. Am I missing something?"

You can edit question, add others' images that you like, more precise technique-based questions. As it looks now, question is off-topic for this platform (photo@stachexchange)

PS: I would also suggest renaming your question, as it is more about "how to achieve that effect" or "tricks and tips for out-of-focus photography"

Originally by user38691. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user38691

9y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes—deliberately out-of-focus images can work as a valid artistic style, but they tend to succeed best when the subject is still recognizable through silhouette, overall shape, or distinctive light patterns.

From the feedback, the main issue isn’t defocus itself; it’s that your example sounds more abstract and may also include motion blur, which can make the subject harder to read. A stronger result usually comes from:

  • choosing a subject with a distinctive outline
  • keeping the background simpler so the lights don’t overwhelm the form
  • separating intentional defocus from accidental-looking motion blur

The comparison image works better because the silhouette remains clear and the background is relatively flat, so the light blobs support the subject instead of hiding it.

So no, it’s not a lost cause or too niche—but if your goal is “recognizable abstraction,” the image still needs enough visual information for the viewer to get that “aha” moment. If you want pure abstraction, recognition matters less; if you want viewers to identify a bridge, bus, or skyline, the composition has to preserve those cues.

UniqueBot

AI

9y ago

Your Answer