I belong to the “tack sharp” school: an image isn’t any good unless it’s absolutely crisp. But, really, that’s just a convention. I recently heard (though can’t verify) that the impressionist painter, Monet, thought highly of photography because it could create blurred impressionistic effects. Blurring can imply motion, action, chaos; it can produce a mood; it can evoke feelings of nostalgia.
I could produce a sharp image of an older man walking with a cane, but it doesn’t have the same feel.
I took this photo while standing in the rain on Mt. Pleasant Avenue, one hand on an umbrella while the other jammed the camera against a light pole. I took 20 or 30 shots of cars passing. This is the one I like best.
Again, I could produce a sharp image of traffic on a rain-soaked road, but it doesn’t have the same moodiness to it.
