The Pursuit of Sharpness

There goes an old rumour in photography that it's possible for a photograph to be blurry and / or out of focus, and yet still be a success. The problem with rumours is that they can spring from anywhere, without warning and without any real grounding.

A photograph that is not sharp can be a great image. This rumour is particularly worrying as it is very nasty, in fact it is one of the worst types of rumours possible. It is a truth. It is the truth.

Too often we strive for perfection, we attempt to freeze time, we want only clarity. Cameras, I believe, should not have a 'delete' button, at least then we would think about what we are taking. Tomorrow's generation of photographers will perhaps never truly appreciate what it is to take just one photograph, to stick with whatever it is that was captured first time. Even if ultimately the shot was missed.

The beauty of digital photography is that there is always a camera poised to capture a moment, providing you've remembered to charge the battery and empty the memory card. This image was captured using a mobile phone. It should be a sin. Still, better a photo taken with a low resolution camera and kept, than one that is take with a high resolution camera and is condemned to the recycling bin.
Maybe there's hope for me yet...

Chris