sharpness in foreground

[jann1033]

ok just want opinions...
i have been taking most landscapes at narrow aps. so it's sharp the whole way, mainly cause i heard a noted landscape photographer mention it drove him nuts to see the foreground soft
but
i notice on some other sites(and i have done sometimes, maybe others here have as well, don't really recall ) somehave a softer focus on the front...i kind of like the look on occasion( not always, depends on the subject) but is that a big no no? the photographer mentioned implied it was on a par to blowing out all the highlights. does that make someone look like a rank amateur? most landscapes i see are sharp the whole way so maybe there is some pc rule i am not aware of that says "no softness allowed"

kind of crazy ? i know but i am easily intimidated..well sometimes

 

[YesDear]

I agree that landscape photographers tend to be anal about making the entire image appear sharp. I also agree that is what make photography wonderful. If it looks good to you then that is all that matters.

It also depends to me what you are trying to achieve with the image. What is the focal point.

 

[spinetnglr]

I think too is a matter of what looks good to you on whether your landscapes should have a soft or sharp foreground. I also think most landscape photographers want that sharpness front to back. For me if I am taking a general landscape shot I want it in focus all the way, but if there is something within the landscape itself that I want to be a focal point I will try for a some blur in the foreground to draw the eye over the foreground and into the photo where the interest is. Also if the only foreground you have is in the way of the shot but there is no way to eliminate it from the photo then alot of blur may be just the thing.

 

[MICKEY88]

I personally choose to ignore any photographer that insists their way is the only way to take a photo

 

[oogieboogieman]

I'm with Mickey88 on this one. There is no right way to take a photograph only the way that I choose to interpret the scene.

 

[MICKEY88]

I'm with Mickey88 on this one. There is no right way to take a photograph only the way that I choose to interpret the scene.

It's like the Pirates Code,

not rules, just guidelines..

 

[Groucho]

One of the books (by Herb Keppler) I read recently looked at it from a historical perspective... back in the large format days, it was harder to get the whole photo in focus so it was impressive to have a nice big landscape photo that was all in focus. As time marched on, narrow depth of field came back into vogue. I think that as digital took over, sharpness across the image became the norm again, and now as DSLRs become increasingly common, narrow DoF is becoming something special again.

Really, whatever looks good to you is what matters!

 

[jann1033]

interesting to know the history of it, thanks for all the opinions and thoughts

 

[manning]

One way to look at it is where do you want the focal point to be.