The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

Written by Mike Ross
Sunflower and spider
Sunflower and spider

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, discovered in 1927 states simply that the act of observation changes the thing observed. In this case, when I set up to photograph a flower it moves just enough to make getting a sharp image unlikely.

It might have been the tractor trailer trucks going by inches from where I was standing or it might have been the breeze from the coming storm, but I don’t think so. By observing I changed the thing observed.

So there are a few options to bypass this principle: the first is to raise the ISO to get a faster shutter speed. The second is to use a wider aperture for the same reason, and the third is to pretend to be satisfied with a fuzzy shot.

I left the ISO at 200 and the aperture at f/4 just as an experiment and almost all the shots were so sharp I could see the daddy long legs laughing at me. But I liked this one at f/2.8 better.

As Werner Heisenberg himself said: “There are things that are so serious that you can only joke about them.” In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff and if necessary convert to black and white.

29 thoughts on “The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle”

  2. Do all sunflowers look like this or did you get a strange one? I like it because it’s not classically ‘pretty’ and the B&W showcases it. It reminds me of Audrey II … so the question is, did you have a finger cut and was that the reason it was moving?

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        1. Some say the most important thing is composition and some say its the light. I delete 90% of my photos because I’m an obsessive nut (see blog name). Study your shots to see what works and what doesn’t and practice, practice, practice.

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    1. Thanks Larry, actually I used wide and moved the focus points around-my favorite feature with this camera. I’ve never used the single focus point because I think even the large is probably too small. I’ll have to try it sometime.

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    1. Until I got a mirrorless camera I was afraid to push the ISO beyond 800 or so but I found that even 2000 is usable. Your photos are great Lisa whatever you’re doing!

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