(one of David Beckstead’s Images posted to the forum discussion)
David Beckstead has published an impassioned plea to photographers to stop using vignettes.
Or rather, to stop overusing vignettes to try and hide compositional flaws.
“Of course there are great uses for this effect. The main reason is to direct the viewer to the subject,” says Beckstead on his Facebook page. “…most often it is much weaker than seeing and utilizing elements at the location while shooting.”
Beckstead offers a half dozen alternatives to the vignette, some compositional, some done later on in developing the image, including blur (bokeh) crop and light.
Check out his full post over at his facebook page. He’s also cross-posted the note (with some additional examples) on the forums, as well (membership required but as always trials are 100% FREE), which is already sparking an interesting conversation.
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2 Comments at "Just Say No!"
I have to say I over abuse it sometimes myself. But when used right its beautiful.
Agreed – as David says it’s great for drawing the eye to a specific element of the image, but some people go overboard with it – used in moderation it’s fine.
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