Beyond Sharp: How many photographers look beyond sharpness when assessing the merits of a photo for printing (hanging)? Yet surely there is not a painting of any size in any medium...

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

How many photographers look beyond sharpness when assessing the merits of a photo for printing (hanging)? Yet surely there is not a painting of any size in any medium which would compare with the sharpness obtainable with a photograph? But this does not prevent us fully enjoying our wall hung paintings.
Proprietary lens manufacturers create super - zoom lenses that will never produce really sharp photos - so must photographers rely on PP for their illusion of sharp, with the associated trade-offs, or perhaps assess, for example, a potential 20” x16” print at 50% instead of 1:1?

tommy2 Loc: Fort Worth, Texas

Sharp doesn't mean anything to me if the subject is good.

Heck, being a Docent in a world class art museum I'd have to throw out all the paintings done with a brush if part of the judging criteria had anything to do with "sharpness".

Just stand back and enjoy the image.

DNW

tommy2 wrote:

Sharp doesn't mean anything to me if the subject is good.

Heck, being a Docent in a world class art museum I'd have to throw out all the paintings done with a brush if part of the judging criteria had anything to do with "sharpness".

Just stand back and enjoy the image.

Brokenland

To me sharpness and grain go hand in hand. I like a little grain in my images but they do need to be in focus and not necessarily sharp.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

tommy2 wrote:

Sharp doesn't mean anything to me if the subject is good.

Heck, being a Docent in a world class art museum I'd have to throw out all the paintings done with a brush if part of the judging criteria had anything to do with "sharpness".

Just stand back and enjoy the image.

Sounds good. So glad there are "Docents" in world-class art museums. I would hate to have a common ordinary guide explaining the artist or painting.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Delderby wrote:

How many photographers look beyond sharpness when ... (show quote)

mostly.

However, some images, particularly of wildlife, benefit from good sharpness.

Good high-end lenses are every bit as sharp as primes. I agree that super zooms (greater than 5X zoom range) can produce mediocre results.

tommy2 Loc: Fort Worth, Texas

traderjohn wrote:

Sounds good. So glad there are "Docents" in world-class art museums. I would hate to have a common ordinary guide explaining the artist or painting.

Well Duh...

... I'm glad you have that much interest in museum collections, thank you.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

tommy2 wrote:

Well Duh...

... I'm glad you have that much interest in museum collections, thank you.

Love museums. We are frequent visitors at MOMA The Frick. Also The American Museum of Natural History. You provide a valuable service.

Dannj

traderjohn wrote:

Sounds good. So glad there are "Docents" in world-class art museums. I would hate to have a common ordinary guide explaining the artist or painting.

👍
When did guides become “docents” anyway?

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

Dannj wrote:

👍
When did guides become “docents” anyway?

I don’t know for sure, but I first became aware of the term in the early 1960s.

Dave

tommy2 Loc: Fort Worth, Texas

Dannj wrote:

👍
When did guides become “docents” anyway?

From Wikipedia:
"Museum docent is a title given in the United States of America to persons who serve as guides and educators for the institutions they serve, usually on a voluntary basis. The English word itself is derived from the Latin word docēns, the present active participle of docēre (to teach, to lecture). Cognates of this word are found in several extant Romance Languages and are often associated with university professors or teachers in general. In many cases docents, in addition to their prescribed function as guides, also conduct research utilizing the institution's facilities."
No date given but seeing it was derived from an old culture language it could be a long time.
Your turn to look up "guide" now.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Dannj wrote:

👍
When did guides become “docents” anyway?

Probably about the same time that "mechanics" became "technicians"!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

While it's utterly fascinating to learn all there is to know about the origin of "docent," are there any readers left who care about the discussion Delderby presented in the opening of this thread?

My criteria for assessing a photo as print-worthy:
https://photographylife.com/whats-important-in-a-photograph-and-what-isnt

For me, sharpness is a personal preference, related to subject (such as Gene suggests with wildlife) or the mood I want to present. Most of the photos currently on my walls, all my own work, are soft on purpose.

geebear Loc: Southeast Iowa

Linda From Maine wrote:

While it's utterly fascinating to learn all there ... (show quote)

Thats beautiful linda love the pic

Dannj

tommy2 wrote:

From Wikipedia: br "Museum docent is a title ... (show quote)

From Dannjpedia:
“Guide”: a person who walks around with you and tells you about the things you are looking at.

Personally, I think museums and other such places discovered they could attract more volunteer “guides” if they called them “docents”.
Has a nice ring to it.