Loving this season of Survivor.

Like Angie surprisingly kicking butt, and Ian rules. The shark hunting was adorable. Tom is Da Man.

I don't know if this pertains to what ita's wondering about... and someone correct me if I'm wrong here...

The depth of field (how much stuff is in focus - I think that's the right term) varies depending on the aperture (size of the opening to the lens) of the camera. On good cameras this can be changed. A small aperture produces the most depth of field (so stuff further away from the thing you focused on will still be in focus). The downside to a small aperture is that you need to increase the exposure time to compensate for the reduced light. Consequentially a small aperture is bad for action photos. This is why you are much more likely to see a blury background in an action photo.

Here's a study involving the possible use of optics in Renaissance Painting.

[link]

And here's a very comprehensive article on DoF in Photography: [link]

Thanks, Matt!

This is why you are much more likely to see a blury background in an action photo.

That, and the option to pan with the action to keep the primary object in the same position, giving the background a speed blur effect.

I'm pretty familiar with depth of field from a camera POV (so to speak), and until Twilight Zone disturbed me, I hadn't considered it as a convention, an adaptation to a technical limitation that's become language. But not in every medium.

I've been googling a bit, and damn, I wish I had time to take an Art History bachelor's. I may be reading this all day.

eta: Heh, Sue. I just found that site too.

ita, you might find this book interesting: Art & Physics. I don't think I fully agree with the author's premise, but still, lots of interesing stuff. I don't remember off the top of my head if the book deals with focus issues, though.

The shark hunting was adorable.

That was almost unwatchable for me -- I kept picturing them wounding one but not killing it and sending all the other sharks in the water into a feeding frenzy which would result in at least one of them having their feet bitten off.. Seriously, who hunts sharks with a stick???

Thanks, Tommy. I've put it on hold at the library.

Seriously, who hunts sharks with a stick???

I bet The Rock would. Vin might have, a couple years ago. But not now.

Seriously, who hunts sharks with a stick???

I know. I could not figure out how throwing a pointy stick into water actually kills something. But it was cute anyway!

This is funny. I emailed our conference director the story about Oscar Goodman saying that we should put a bottle of gin in his gift basket. She had already done it. BWAH!

I could not figure out how throwing a pointy stick into water actually kills something

This is probably why you're a lawyer and not an Ojibwe hunter.

Well, in conjunction with the whole white thing.