The Shot Chat | VI. Do the Eyes Always Have to be in Focus?

Let The Shot Chat Begin…

Jade Hoksbergen: BRING IT ON PEOPLE!!! Give me your best sting Ok, don’t sting too much.

Henley Spiers: I've had the benefit of seeing this image for longer, as we dived the site together and reviewed the images on the day. At first, my reaction was "oh no, it was almost amazing", this was because I loved the feel of the shot...but due to the eyes being out of focus I ruled it out as a failure...Looking at it again many months later, I found my perspective had changed, and I now felt this shot was very much a keeper, with the artistic feel and emotion of the photograph outweighing the concern over focus...It may not be perfect, but I still find it very strong, and representative of a very 'Jade' style of macro underwater image. I would be fascinated to know what the rest of you think and feel?

Shane Gross: What a cute little fish! This shot makes me want shrink down and give him or her a big hug! I like the vibrant colour against the white background. I wonder how you got the white background? Was it against sand? Or did you intentionally overexpose the background with one of your strobes? Or did you bring a background down with you?

I think the ample negative space and vertical orientation mostly work. I might like to be slightly closer to the fish, but not a deal breaker. The yellow fins add nice lines towards the face and you end up with a very pleasing star shape. Seeing both eyes is nice, but I don't get a sense they are looking at me, which would have elevated the overall effect. A lower angle would also give the fish more presence. The focus on the mouth and "freckles" doesn't bother me at this size, but if I were going to be hanging a huge print on my wall or considering this for a magazine cover it would be an issue. So, overall it's a beautiful, simple, successful portrait of a cute fish that I think would be even better if we had full (and sharp) eye contact from a lower angle (to the fish). Really curious to hear what everyone else thinks!

Anita Kainrath: Such a cute fish, I agree! I wish the eyes were in focus…there's usually an instant connection with the animal when you're eye to eye and that I think is missing in this image. I don't mind too much the perspective - I don't think all images have to be shot upwards. To me it looks like the fish was swimming towards you so that works for me (did it trust you or was he swimming towards you because of curiosity or defense?) .

Let's talk about the colours - the bright yellow and purple are really nice and clearly stand out on the white background. I like it but I think a complementary colour in the background would make the colors pop even more (like a cyan).. I know you can't always chose the background color though. White goes well with anything. Was there sand in the background? I think I would crop the image a tiny bit on the bottom left since there's enough white space on the top.

Jade Hoksbergen: Hi guys, thanks for your feedback. I also really want to give him/her a little hug. To answer your question Shane, what's behind the fish is sand and I did overexpose it too to get the white background. I like the minimalistic composition of the picture, and while I usually am a sucker for colourful backgrounds, I like the white background in this case. I have to agree with both Shane and Anita that the overall impact would be strongest if the eyes were in focus. In fact, it was for this reason that I discounted this picture and didn't give it a second look until very recently.

Regarding the angle, I agree with Anita that slightly 'looking down at the fish' doesn't bother me in this case. I took this photo in Cebu in a dive site I've been visiting since I was a young girl starting to dive. Whilst damsels are common around the site, the novelty and wow factor never diminished for me. They are so beautiful, and with my near-sightedness, they look like sprinkles of fairy dust from a distance, giving the coral reef extra shimmer. I dug up another photograph I took seconds after the one I first presented. This image shows the two points we have been debating about: the angle, and the point of focus. Whilst the original photograph is taken from up higher (thus creating a looking-down at the fish angle), in this one I am at about the same level if not lower than the fish. Also, this photograph shows the fish's eyes in focus, rather than the mouth. What do you think?

Shane Gross: Thanks for sharing Jade! While the eyes are now in focus, they are not looking at us and we still have a slightly downward angle (eyes are lower than the tail). Nothing wrong with that, but I think it would connect with me more if we had eye contact and were on the same level, or slightly below the fish. Looking down on subjects can make them appear weak and vulnerable, which has its place, especially for conservation images, but I would prefer a picture that portrays the fish as a powerful fellow being. That's not to say we should never shoot down on any subject, sometimes that’s what makes an animal unique and special, or it’s in a place where you should shoot down, but it is something I think about a lot and in this specific case I think it applies.

Anita Kainrath: Oh it is so adorable! Seeing it's eyes now makes a big difference for me. I really like it, Jade! And in this image I think the white background works better than in the previous one for some reason.. I don't know why exactly haha. Maybe since the eyes in the other one weren't in focus it could have been seen as a more artsy photograph and then I would focus more on the colors?

Henley Spiers: I'm tempted to say I prefer the second shot...and I actually do find myself held in the gaze of the fish here, although it is one of those 1.5 eyes looking kind of shots, which by their nature can be a bit frustrating.

If i take a step back and think what this shot is about...for me, it is the 'cuteness' of the fish, its smallness, and the artistic feel of the frame. In that sense, in the initial shot you shared, the pose is far more coquettish, it feels more fun, more cheeky...this comes from the head on, splayed pectoral fins pose, and the mouth being slightly ajar. In the second, yes, we have a sharp eye, but now it feels either a bit grumpy, or nervous, in character (downturned mouths in fish do mean we usually anthropomorphise them as being sad). I do enjoy that double shading of the fish in the second image, and that peacock style dot on the top (maybe it's the purple in the fish which is then brought out a bit more in the magenta hued white Anita? I agree that it is somehow more satisfying). Ok so second on my list of key characteristics, for me, the negative space, the shallow depth of field, reinforces that this is a tiny, yet beautiful fish...in that respect, I actually think the top down view works well, as it further enhances this characteristic. I don't mind that this fish looks small and fragile, it's part of what endears me to it. Finally, as far as the less intangible, artistic feel of shot...I think the first image shows us more harmony...

So, I guess I'm saying I still prefer the first even if the eyes are out of focus. In terms of the wider focus debate, there are moments when focussing on something else, can be deliberate, and effective...for instance, the teeth of a crocodile...however, I think it is clear here that the out of focus eyes were not by choice, and the image would be stronger if that paper thin plane of focus had included the eyes. As such, it has not reached the heights it could have and should be considered a partial failure...but, I think it would be wrong to see it as a complete failure...yes, try again if you can...and yes, it does perhaps limit where and how the shot can be used...but it is nonetheless beautiful...and appreciating it for what it is, rather than what it's not, is a lesson I've taken from it...

Grant Thomas: I'm a big fan of white backgrounds in images as they are a bit different from the more common black effect and also, in my opinion, take a bit more imagination to achieve, which is something I appreciate a lot. In this case I think the bright white background also compliments the innocent looking personality of the fish, which as Shane said is also emphasised by the slightly downward angle which helps give that "puppy dog" look. I much prefer the downward composition of your first image to the more head on portrait style of your second image as I think it helps give more depth

On the topic of composition i would like to see the first image with a more diagonal composition as i think it would create a slightly more dynamic effect, as well as filling more of the frame with the subject. I have done a quick crop in lightroom to show you what i mean. Be interesting to hear if you guys agree or not.

I do feel like the eyes being slightly out of focus does take away from the overall impact of the image however, not a huge amount! I think if you were just posting to social media then you could probably get away with it to be honest. For publishing or printing I would like to have the eyes in focus, as i feel it would be more noticeable.

Overall I prefer the first image for many reasons. I think the position of the subject is far more dynamic as it feels as though it's swimming out of the frame. Also Henley's point of how we tend to anthropomorphise subjects is great, as damsel no.2 definitely has that grumpy look which is less appealing than the more innocent, happy look of damsel no.1

Jade Hoksbergen: Thanks a lot guys for the really well thought out feedback! I appreciate it! I really like the enhanced diagonal composition Grant, thank you! I might keep it that way, I think I would like to have less negative space at the bottom and more on top though... what do you all think?

Grant Thomas: Glad you like it Jade My thought process behind having slightly more negative space on the lower half of the image is because i prefer to give space for the subject to move into, as I feel it looks more natural.

Henley Spiers: I prefer Grant's crop too, although potentially the closer we cut in, the more the focus not being on the eyes becomes prominent.

Grant Thomas: This is a good point! For me the image is one of those pictures that, at first, looks simple but when you have some experience trying shoot small reef fish as they dance in and out of the safety of a coral head, I think it becomes more apparent the difficulty of nailing all of the elements i.e focus, composition, lighting etc... So even though the eyes are slightly out of focus, i love everything else. Great job Jade!