Selective Focus

[Annie M.]

I am looking at one of Adrian Bregazzi's photographs in the August 1980 issue of Camera and I am perplexed as to how he achieved this image. It is unusual in that it is comprised of five alternating vertical bands of sharp and soft focus... he either cleverly used the edges of trees to emphasize the effect or the trees are producing it themselves.

A short description.... 4x5 in vertical orientation, forest image from left to right.... Left edge birch tree trunk (near distance) in sharp focus // band of background out of focus // slender tree trunk(mid distance, dead centre) in sharp focus // band of background in sharp focus // band of background out of focus // slender tree trunk (mid distance right edge) very out of focus.

I perused the block illustrations in Stroebel's book but can find no configuration that resembles Bregazzi's image. Any ideas or web references as to how this effect was achieved would be appreciated as I would like to steal (oops... I mean 'explore') this idea for my own work.

Cheers Annie

[Tracy Storer]

Hard to say without seeing it? I wish I could see it to try to figure it out. Best,

[Tracy Storer]

Just re-read your description...sounds like focus recedes from near left to far right? Could it just be a big swing?

[Annie M.]

On second thought it was probably ridiculous of me to post this question...... rather like describing music using shadow puppets. Tracy I don't think it is a big swing because the background on one side of the skinny tree in the middle is out of focus on one side and perfectly in focus on the other.... It is very cool however!

[Annie M.]

On third thought..... Tracy how about I send you the magazine (just so you know... I think it may be 'hot'... picked it up a bunch of them for a quarter each at a garage sale..... it is from a public library, but the due stamp says May 10 1982... I assume they have written it off!) ...you figure out the technique and post the results!

Cheers Annie

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

How about you scan and post the picture in some web site and give us the link? I woul dbe interested to see what you are talking about. I get the feeling you are talking about double swings, front and back in the same direction, but without seeing the picture, it is very hard to say.

[Annie M.]

Sorry Jorge, no scanner at the moment..... I'll work it out eventually...how many combinations of movements can there be.

[David A. Goldfarb]

My guess from the description is that there is some swing to get the two receeding trees in focus, and then shift with a lens that doesn't cover the format with good definition, so one side would be out of focus no matter where the plane of focus is. It would be interesting to see.

[Annie M.]

I believe we have a contender! ......David I think you are correct, looking closely at the bottom right corner there is the slightest hint of that distinctive 'curved blur' that comes from the edge of the image circle. The light falloff is not evident as he has placed that area over a tree with a dark bark.

I never would have figured this out by trial and error... I had a lens on the Sinar with coverage from here to next Thursday. I am going to try this with the 7x11... I think it has enough shift to take advantage of the one edge with some of my lenses...

You are very clever...... Thanks.

[Deniz]

I still wanna see the photo :)

maybe you could take a pic of it with a decent digicam?

[Emrehan Zeybekoglu]

This is perhaps a side issue here but let me point out for those who may not be familiar with the publication that "Camera" was a high quality magazine that was being published in the 1970s and which I believe was discontinued in the early 1980s. Sounds like Annie may have gotten a deal. Cheers..

[Annie M.]

Sorry Deniz, no digicam.

Emrehan.... I did search the web about the magazine but found nothing, thanks for the additional information... Wish there was something like it in production today.... I only have 8 issues and they are all superb.

Still no success but I think I am getting closer... the solution is definitely hidden somewhere in those big swings. I would like to master it though, as it gives the image a point of view that might be how a view camera would look at nature while on a solitary stroll through the forest without the interference of the photographers vision.... So as well as making a visually intriguing photograph it makes an interesting statement about process and how we see the natural environment.

Anyway..... I am off to the woods today to swing among the trees!

Cheers & thanks...

[jantman]

Well I will tender my theory...

How about something that's not really in-camera? Either a filter over the camera that creates bands of soft-focus (ok...fine...diffusion) or something in the printing process (like the same thing over an enlarger lens)?

Perhaps the qualities of the soft focus will give you some clue as to whether it was something in-camera or post-exposure...

[Annie M.]

OK... I have a benefactor (thanks!!) that has sent me a scan of the page from the magazine. On my computer the image displays very poorly..... Lots of banding and noise (sorry benefactor, but it is true)... But if you can get an idea of the focus banding that I describe. I have absolutely no idea how to post an image on the web so that is out... but if a few of you experts want me to forward the scan I think I may be able to do that.

Disclaimer......... The message containing the scan was 'unusual' in that when the message displayed in my Yahoo e-mail account it listed no sender (this has never occurred with any e-mail I have received previously).... When I tried to reply to the person that sent the e-mail Yahoo was unable to effect a reply...... The photo image is over 1800K which seems rather large. I know very little about computers (and photography for that matter) so I don't know if caution is required in this situation.

Jason... From Bregazzi's artistic statement I know that he is articulating the focus with the camera movements.

[Annie M.]

My apologies to my benefactor...... When you enlarge the photo properly (I never knew what that little button with the arrows was for) there is lots of detail (much more than you can see in the little photo in the magazine) and it is a wonderful scan.

Cheers Annie...... (if the LF Forum were a village would I just might be a contender for it's idiot)