Meet Internet Rooster.
I have a feeling he’ll be visiting photoscapes from time to time.
I breezed over an article today about hyperfocal focusing on one of the popular photography blogs. The article itself was fine.
Then I read the comments.
That’s when the conversation in my head began.
Internet Rooster: “The author needs an education in focus stacking.”
Me: “Hyperfocal focusing wasn’t developed because photographers hadn’t discovered focus stacking. It existed because photographers working with film often had exactly one exposure and may not have had a ground glass. Landscape photographers needed a practical way to maximize depth of field with the equipment they had. It worked then. It still works now.”
Internet Rooster: “Well… actually…”
Me: “Focus stacking doesn’t replace hyperfocal focusing any more than autofocus replaced manual focus. Different tools. Different situations. Different goals.”
At this point I decided the discussion needed a field test.
So I handed our Internet Rooster my 6×17 Fotoman loaded with Velvia.
Four exposures.
No LCD.
No Live View.
No autofocus.
No battery.
Just an optical finder hanging around his neck.
The light is changing.
Good luck.
Internet Rooster: “Where’s Live View?”
Me: “There isn’t one.”
Internet Rooster: “Okay… where’s the viewfinder?”
Me: “Around your neck.”
Internet Rooster: “How do I zoom in to check focus?”
Me: “You don’t.”
Internet Rooster: “Where’s autofocus?”
Me: “About thirty years in the future.”
Internet Rooster: “How do I review the last shot?”
Me: “Next week.”
Internet Rooster: “What’s my histogram look like?”
Me: “It looks like faith.”
Internet Rooster: “No problem. I’ve watched a lot of YouTube.”
Five minutes later…
Internet Rooster: “Where’s the battery?”
Me: “It doesn’t have one.”
Internet Rooster: “How do I turn it on?”
Me: “You already did.”
Internet Rooster: “Where’s the menu?”
Me: “There isn’t one.”
Internet Rooster: “How do I check my exposure?”
Me: “You look at the light.”
Internet Rooster: “Where’s image stabilization?”
Me: “Three legs.”
Finally…
Click.
Internet Rooster: “…that’s it?”
Me: “Yep.”
Internet Rooster: “So… did I get it?”
Me: “We’ll know when the film comes back.”
Then, just to keep things interesting, I hand him my 4×5 Ebony.
One sheet of film left.
The sun is disappearing.
The wind has picked up.
Now tell me again how focus stacking solves everything.
The funny thing is that hyperfocal focusing and focus stacking are not competitors. They’re simply different solutions to different problems.
Understanding when to use hyperfocal distance and when focus stacking is appropriate is simply part of becoming a more thoughtful photographer. The mistake is believing the newest one somehow erased all the older ones.
Those old cameras are wonderfully honest. They don’t flatter you. They don’t rescue you. They simply wait for you to make a decision.
Sometimes that’s exactly what makes them so much fun.