Currently I’m having an issue in which my RICOH GR III doesn’t focus or startup properly anymore (lens error). A workaround–
Shoot in snap focus mode, with the pre-focus set to 1 meter.
Funny enough, this has been very liberating. Why? It reduces one thing in your photography process; worrying about focus.
Certainly you cannot focus everything at 1 meter, especially when shooting in auto-iso and program mode (P mode). However, perhaps this is the fun creative constraint:
Assuming you can shoot only at 1 meters pre-focused, what kind of creative photos can you make?
Focus is overrated?
To capture things sharp and in focus; perhaps this is overrated? Maybe better to just shoot everything in snap mode, prefocused (manual focus) to 1 meter?
You can do this with any camera, just put it in manual mode, and pre-focus your lens to 1 meter. And try for a week to only shoot at 1 meter.
What to do
Either
Just get close enough to your subject at 1 meter and shoot it.
Or,
Even if something is closer or further than 1 meter away, just shoot it anyways, and the out of focus effect can be artsy.
In fact, when shooting in autofocus and sometimes making photos of Cindy or Seneca out of focus (on accident), unintentionally the photograph feels more artistic. Assuming our goal is artistic and creative photography, then perhaps intentionally trying to make our photos out of focus, this is better!
Upload your out of focus photos to arsbeta.com
Your photo assignment is out of focus (1 meter). Upload your best photos to arsbeta.com
Creative thoughts
Some other creative thoughts:
- Intentionally blur your photos
- Shoot without looking through your viewfinder or LCD screen; allow yourself to shoot more randomly.
- Try to walk at least 30,000 steps a day, and just shoot whatever you encounter on your way.
PHOTO VISION PDF SLIDES DOWNLOAD >
Watch my creative everyday talk at GOOGLE >
CREATIVE TOOLS
- ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II
- ERIC KIM WRIST STRAP MARK II
- STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT
- HENRI WRIST STRAP CREMA BROWN
- MASTERS PRINT EDITION // MASTERS MOBILE EDITION
- HENRI SHOULDER STRAP
Creative books
Fresh thoughts on the blog
SLIDES: PHOTO VISION ONLINE WORKSHOP (2022, PDF)
If this gave you any creative thoughts, feel free to share to a friend!