First published in The Study of Light, on Substack, on September 8, 2026
Back in the day I found a book of photography exercises. One photography instructor, writing in the days of film and analog cameras, said:
“You can call yourself a professional if you can get two of every five shots in focus.”
To some, that may sound like a low bar. Just forty percent, so it should be easy. But his was a time of manual focus. You had to look carefully through a viewfinder, and get it just right. Better for you if your subject was a sitting model, or a tree, versus a baseball player running toward you.
Many of us still take photos with cameras that are fixed-focus. Most phones, GoPros, old instamatics. Everything is in focus. As long as the light isn’t too dim, or a subject moving too fast, you get your shot. Those of us using SLRs, mirrorless cameras, anything professional or approaching professional, have autofocus mode. Properly used, these cameras do amazing work, yet it can still be very challenging to get two out of five photos sharp, just the way you like them. Focusing well takes a lot of practice.
Every month I take a photo of the full moon rising. But on this night, I was driving on the interstate highway, in a hurry, I suppose. I handed my phone to my wife, and asked her to try to get the shot out the passenger side window, through the glass and the rain outside. This is what she got, and frankly, I like it better than any I've taken. PC: Geri Shonka
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Then, aside from professional jobs, I wonder why all that fuss? For me, some out-of-focus photos are more compelling, less limiting than their pin-sharp counterparts. They leave more to my imagination. An unfocused image might be to traditional photography what impressionism was to Neoclassicism. I want to leave these expectations behind, and get an impression, or give one. A blurry photo frees me to feel more, somehow, and to feel other.
Have you ever found or taken an out-of-focus photograph that you like better? I would love to see it.
