What I’m Working On:f8 and Be There

Everyone grows in their craft, and here is a little glimpse of
what skill I’ve been working on.

If you’re in the family photography world, you’ll hear a lot of photographers stick their noses in the air and declare “I only shoot wide open.” 

It basically means they open up their lens as wide as it will go. The result is that the thing closest to the camera is sharp but the background becomes very blurry. It’s a sign of a very strong lens when you can shoot extremely wide open.

Oh I do love a great shallow depth of field because it can look very mysterious and it’s an easy way to push focus onto your subject.

However, a few months ago I was listening to a street photographer who said something that flipped that notion completely around.

He was quoting a renowned documentary photographer who answered the question, “What is the key to great documentary photography?”

“F8 and be there,” he said.

It’s an adage in the documentary world that is often quoted and it means two things: to get a great image you need to be there of course, in the moment. But what's more, in order for some images to really hit, there needs to be context. 

This phrase challenged me to question why I choose certain depths of field over others. So I have set out these last few months to capture context. To not allow myself to default to blur. To set my camera to f8 or higher and focus on depth, composition and storytelling.

It’s been a wonderful exercise and I’ve really enjoyed the images I’ve been able to create with it.

Is it for every moment - no. Obviously not. But knowing just how much context is needed for the moment you’re in, and how much should be left to the imagination, is a beautiful skill to work on.