Rise and fall of King Sharpness

Have you ever thought about how sharpness has evolved in photography? After more than a century of research, camera and lens makers have achieved incredible perfection in their products. However, some photographers, including myself, consider that nowadays they are, in fact, too perfect.

Being a photography gadgets fan, I follow all the products released to the market: cameras that perform well in low light situations, lens that produce rich details, etc. Nonetheless, when I review the images, I have mixed feelings: I’m aware of their perfection but, on the other hand, I cannot help thinking that they don’t look pleasant for me and that poetry has been sacrificed in the pursuit of crispy pictures.

As far as I’m concerned, we should better spend my time reviewing the work of some of the masters of photography. Recently I borrowed from the library Portraiture by Imogen Cunningham. Some of the portraits included are not sharp according to nowadays standards but are masterpieces that are vivid examples of that there are other vital things that we are missing: composition, exposure, and the most important, a “kind of poetic magic”. Speaking for myself, indeed I’m not talented enough to achieve these appealing images, but If I focus on finding my own photographic style, then most likely I’ll produce a relevant work.

So I’ll make an effort to avoid thinking too much about new gadgets and spend time and money on workshops and books from masters of photography. If you ask me, I would recommend being more aware of the beauty surrounding us and which we are not paying attention to.