Blurry / soft photos...what makes them work?

[escoville]

I would have thrown away the photo of the couple on the rocks. Out of focus is always bad except to draw attention to what's in focus. If he'd wanted it fuzzy, he should have added Gaussian blur, which produces a quite different effect. Of the rest, the only one I quite like is the multi-storey car park, but even that could have been much improved by more imaginative positioning of the couple (face-to-face or back-to-back). As it is, it's gooey.

[arith]

They are not out of focus for the most part they look like Orton.

Some are very odd though whilst others are very good.

Try googling Orton Debbie

[djg05478]

They are not out of focus for the most part they look like Orton.

Some are very odd though whilst others are very good.

Try googling Orton Debbie

Thank you. Michael Orton, found him.

[JonathanC]

To my mind the car by the water shot isn't out of focus, but the focus is on the couple (see rear view mirror).

[jcuknz]

To my viewing the only sharp part of the shot is the foliage bottom right frame ... which re-inforces my view that one should be obvious about what one is doing becuase very few will appreciate the subtlies

This to me is a good example of this ...I was attracted by the reflection of a bus shelter reflecting early morning sun in the SUV, my daughter -in-law to be walked into shot. The shot fails on two points for me ... the reflection is not obvious and it doesn't do justice to my DiL getting a coffee on her way to work. But she likes it .... women