Is It Ever Okay For a Photo to be Blurry?

Today, the tack-sharp image is the expected. It is more possible than ever with autofocus and digital cameras. But is it ever warranted to have any blur in a photo? In the image below, titled “The Amish and Me”, I was in the car with a camera in my hand (a manual focus 35mm Pentax Me Super), when the horse and buggy sped by. I quickly snapped a shot. The young girl’s expression makes it worth it, in my opinion. In the second photo on the right, titled “Sometimes It’s a Lot”, I think the blur creates a feeling of unsettledness (taken with an autofocus 35mm Canon 1V). It is from my book 55 Photos: Baltimore 2021. It helps to see it in context. We were helping Lydia move to Baltimore, find an apartment, start a new job, settle in, and it was sometimes “just a lot” to deal with.

Of course, in the end, it’s up to personal taste.

Both of these photos can be found in the People section on www.petehendley.com.

Pete Hendley

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