Selective focus isolates a subject in your image and lets the other elements in your composition blur. The focal point becomes the centre of attention. You can use selective focus when the background is busy or not very attractive. Selective focus works by creating a shallow depth of field. Depth of field varies along a continuum. You can blur to a point that all detail is lost. But you can also retain some background detail. Selective focus is often used in macro or close-up photography.

Photos for P52-10-25 are to be taken and posted between Feb 25 and Mar 3.

Rules:
1. Anyone and everyone who is interested is eligible. The goal continues to be
have fun and share comments, concepts, insights, and techniques with fellow
Pentaxians.
2. Each week will feature a Theme and Sub-concept for you to explore.
3. Post your single picture in Project 52-10 thread for the week. Explain what
motivated you to take the picture or how it represents the weekly theme.
4. Some post-processing is OK (adjusting white balance, exposure, color
saturation), but let's try to stay away from heavily PP'ed images here. Try to
keep the creativity to photographic techniques and the captures themselves.
5. Since this project is about technique, and not camera, shots taken by non
Pentax cameras are allowed. Cameras may be SLRs, DSLRs, Point & Shoot,
Medium Format, etc. But no phones, please.
6. There is one “Theme Concept” labeled “black and white,” but feel free to post
black and white, sepia, monotone, etc., for any of the other themes.
7. The picture you post should be taken during the week in which the theme is
active to be eligible for judging.
8. Any picture taken from thread start date to listed closing date is acceptable.

[ramseybuckeye]

I missed the last couple of weeks so I'm getting in early on this one. I took this photo yesterday, not for the challenge, but to try to see what kind of bird it was. It was a foggy morning so I drove into Holly Shelter (a wildlife/nature area close by) to take some landscapes with the fog. I drove about 15 miles from the entrance and took different shots along the way, the fog was nearly gone by the last landscapes, on the way back I was watching for wildlife but seeing almost nothing. So when I saw this bird fly and land on this pine I stopped to see what kind it was, and hope more may come along and come closer. I took the photo with my KP, DA 1.4 TC, and DA*300 (1/500. F5.6, ISO 500). With foreground trees and background trees it is a nice example of selective focus. The bird by the way is an Eastern Bluebird.

[djb47]

Good eye Tom.

[cg57]

I need to learn more and hone the technical skills.
I've been using SMC Pentax DA 1:1.8 of late.
Shot wide open yesterday for isolation of the bent reed.

[djb47]

Nicely done Cindy.

[MossyRocks]

I guess I picked the wrong week to win. I love this type of shooting but I can't win this one (I'm not quite self centered enough to vote for myself). I'll post an image or 2 for fun one of which I took a while back that really smooshes the background into nothingness even though it was shot at like f/11 or some fairly high number. Also posting so I can easily find this come judging time.

[MossyRocks]

The bird by the way is an Eastern Bluebird.

That was going to be my guess.

[MossyRocks]

Here is the image I was thinking of that is an older one. Even though it was shot at f/11 there is enough background separation from the subject that it just turns to mush. It also helps that there were clouds almost all the way to the horizon and I was ontop of a hill to darken the background. The sun was setting and is actually right behind the berries. Apart form getting color balance and saturation there was no post processing trickery for this shot but I did use my old vivitar 285HV flash with diffuser.

[djb47]

Working in Manual mode with the K30 and Industar 50-2 set to f3.5 I focused on the Joker. You can see softness at the bottom and top of the frame.

[Yaki]

And on from me
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2n6Cs9c]

[MossyRocks]

Good to see that I have some choices. Keep them coming.

[noelcmn]

[djb47]

This project is closed.


A nice selection of images ready for judging this time around. Thank you all for your participation.

[MossyRocks]

Well I guess it is time I did what I was suppose to and judge this even if I wanted to do it last night (Friday).
Tom - While not deliberate you did use selective focus, however I did not notice the bird until reading the comment and believe that the bird would have been the intended subject. This image has that nice rhythm to it from the tree trunks.

Cindy - This does a pretty good job of isolating the subject from the background and foreground but might you have been able to push in closer to the subject giving better foreground separation with selective focus? The subject is very clear here.

Don - This image also has some radial symmetry going for it but it might have been interesting to see that lens shot at f/2 to really force the eye towards the center. The Joker card is still a very clear subject and that comes through in spades.

Yaki - For this image I see the selective focus really being on the horse but in my mind I really want it to be on the the hand. I don't know if this is what you wanted or not but is how my mind wants to see that scene. I do really like the lighting in this shot.

noelcmn - For this image I think I would have preferred just a bit thinner DoF with a bit more fall off. I don't know if this was possible, especially with wild critters so there is some effort to paper over their movements and/or missed focus. I don't ever seem to manage good critter shots and this is a pretty nice one.


All in all I think everyone did a good job with this one so I was really nit picking above to help me organize my thoughts and pick a winner. So given all that I will go with Cindy as this week's winner. Congratulations and good luck picking the winner of High Key.

[cg57]

Well I guess it is time I did what I was suppose to and judge this even if I wanted to do it last night (Friday).

Cindy - This does a pretty good job of isolating the subject from the background and foreground but might you have been able to push in closer to the subject giving better foreground separation with selective focus? The subject is very clear here.


All in all I think everyone did a good job with this one so I was really nit picking above to help me organize my thoughts and pick a winner. So given all that I will go with Cindy as this week's winner. Congratulations and good luck picking the winner of High Key.

Thank you MossyRocks for judging and pointing out areas for improvement. I'm humbled to be chosen as judge for next challenge.