not an f/4 mindset

not an f/4 mindset, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

I remember once hearing some advice from a professional photographer that the key to a successful wedding shoot was to shoot everything at f/4.

I was struck last weekend by how tempting it is to stay in that f/4 mindset. Everything is the immediate, the now. Even the financial crisis that many countries are now experiencing is, I think, essentially down to an f/4 mindset. Choosing to focus only on that which is directly in front of us. Choosing to focus on what will bring us a quick win or an immediate profit.

How different would our society look today if we thought at f/22 instead of f/4? What would our jobs look like? What would our relationships look like? What would our priorities look like for this week?

It was this view which provoked that thought - which incidentally I shot at f/13.