Caught

Before I found out that I liked taking photographs (again, aside from souvenir shots), I never really appreciated the element of blur. I had this idea that all shots must be in focus and anything otherwise should be discarded. Eventually, as I started playing around with our camera and opening my mind to creative approaches, I began to like taking blurred shots -- at least some of them. I particularly like motion blur because the suggestion of movement and the sense of ambiguity captures how we sometimes see the world, especially as things happen very fast, spontaneously, and out of our control.

Hyperreality in photos, on the other hand, where every small detail is in focus, gives me a headache. I find that seeing things crystal clear, perfectly lit, and almost popping out of the shot can be too much information for the eye. It's the equivalent of those tell-all, Reality TV shows, exposing the most frivolous, inconsequential aspects of people's lives.

I'll take subtlety or mystery over that any day.

Jo
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