Sovereign Light Cafe, Bexhill

It's a scene where the shapes & tones are the most important aspect so I wonder why you used f2.2 & 1/4000s. I think greater DOF & sharpness would benefit this shot that I find interesting but ultimately unsatisfying because of the blur.

Regards, Ian.

Ian,

When I was looking at this scene, my imagination isolated the cafe like an island in the rest of the seaside landscape.

I wanted to take the picture in my imagination, so I used the wide aperature, stopped down slightly for sharpness of the subject, but retaining a blurred enough background to help convey the isolation of the cafe, which was also visually encouraged by the converging lines of the promenade. I also think this helps the viewer notice the lady on her break on the left of shot.
What my eyes saw physically (they had 'stopped down' in the bright light and had the 'distance' for blur-free clarity) was what was actually there - the picture you prefer.

I like to (have to mostly) shoot quickly and I take what I see, the way I see it, preferring for the most part the concerntration offered by imagination. Executed by, in this case, the sword that is the mighty Pentax FA77 Ltd.
In other words - perfection was not an aim.
All the best,
Andy

I've no idea why but I really like this, Andy. You've captured an intriguing image.

...so in Oct 2011, more than a year later, the rock band Keane contact me and ask if they can use this picture on their website... turns out they have a song called "Sovereign Light Cafe"... I had no idea. I said OK!

Andy