Questions you'd like answering, regardless of how trivial they may seem

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Accy cyclist

Accy cyclist

Legendary Member
Why when we see photos is the background blurred, like this one?

20260413_193336.jpg


If I look at something close up then look at the background, the background isn't blurred, so why is it blurred in photographs?🤔
 

glasgowcyclist

Charming but somewhat feckless
Location
Scotland
You're probably (unwittingly) using a filter or mode on your phone's camera. Check you don't have it set to portrait or food mode, for example.
 

Alex321

Guru
Location
South Wales
Why when we see photos is the background blurred, like this one?

View attachment 805225

If I look at something close up then look at the background, the background isn't blurred, so why is it blurred in photographs?🤔

Because the focus on a camera is not all that wide. And a phone camera by default will focus on what is in the centre of the image.

Also, when you look at somethng close, then switch to looking at something far away, the focus opf your eyes changes. The camera focus would as well if you moved it so that what is in the distance is in the centre of the image.
 

Seevio

Guru
Location
South Glos
If I look at something close up then look at the background, the background isn't blurred, so why is it blurred in photographs?🤔

I still maintain this thread should be titled, things I can't be arsed to google but still want to know.

Anyway, if you look at something close up you are focusing on it. If you then look at the background, it then becomes the thing you are focusing on and is no longer the background. In the example photo, when you look at the bikes the background is still out of focus but because the background is in your peripheral vision, you don't notice. A photo takes in the whole scene, the bit that's in focus and everything else. The difference it that the focus point is fixed in time and doesn't shift based on what you are looking at.
 
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OP
OP
Accy cyclist

Accy cyclist

Legendary Member
I still maintain this thread should be titled, things I can't be arsed to google but still want to know.

Anyway, if you look at something close up you are not focusing on it. If you then look at the background, it then becomes the thing you are focusing on and is no longer the background. In the example photo, when you look at the bikes the background is still out of focus but because the background is in your peripheral vision, you don't notice. A photo takes in the whole scene, the bit that's in focus and everything else. The difference it that the focus point is fixed in time and doesn't shift based on what you are looking at.

Regarding your first sentence, if we simply 'googled' everything we were inquisitive about we would stop taking part in human interaction, albeit it via internet interaction, not face to face as such. I didn't speak to anyone yesterday, apart from my dog who obviously isn't a person. My only human interaction was through such as CC. Just a thought!🧐
 
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And now my turn:

Can a ghost and a zombie come from the same person?

This was on reddit yesterday - so you could have googled it! :P

One answer was:
Imagine the ghost watching the zombie stumbling around and drooling, and being really disappointed; "Man, we used to be a lawyer!"
 
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