tilt-shift

First of all, my cousin is watching Battlestar Galactica downstairs and that is definitely distracting to me. I am both trying to listen and trying to ignore. So if this post is confusing... Blame the spaceship war that is going on in my mind.

Anyways. I love tilt-shift photography. I think it is so magical.

I've never had or worked with a tilt-shift lens, but you can find all sorts of cool t-s images here (and yes, I know, you can fake it on photoshop... but I would like to think that the best t-s pics are from legit t-s lenses because why else would they cost the same amount as an old-school geisha's lifetime income). It (t-s) basically blurs the depth of field while creating a strip of clear focus somewhere in the image frame.

A lot of people use tilt-shift to achieve a "miniature" effect. Using t-s sometimes makes subjects (buildings or other normally large things, in particular) look like they are toys. Tilt-shift+increase in contrast and vibrance=way cool, almost plastic-y effect. For me, though, t-s is a focus method. Like using a large aperture, tilt shift allows you to capture an image singled out from its surroundings or background. The background is still visible and present--an important component of the complete image--but it is obviously less important than the singled-out subject.

I have this scene replaying in my head from this weekend and I realized this afternoon that I have it recorded in t-s. There are actually lots of moments in my life that I have saved as tilt-shift images. And I would say that in general, some of my most poignant, favorite memories are definitely tilt-shift. I was seeing one thing. One place. One person. And they were surrounded by space and other people and things, but they were my strip of focus in a frame of blur. That makes them so much more... Prominent? Desirable? I'm not sure what I'm trying to say.

I mostly wish I had a picture of what I keep thinking of. Maybe if I could hold it in my hands it would stop haunting me.

Haunting me like that star battle that is apparently over now downstairs.