Focus Disorder

Hi there!

I’m David Perry, a photographer, programmer, nature-lover, lifelong learner, and general nerd. I dabble with a lot of things, but the one you’ll find the most of here is my photography. I do technical high-detail work that involves a lot of computational post-processing.

Specifically, I’m into computational techniques that treat images as raw data and combine multiple decent shots into one amazing shot. Focus stacking, deep sky stacking, high-res panorama tiling, that sort of thing. I do occasionally use regular everyday Photoshop or fancy AI tools, but I try to minimize their use and carefully critique their outputs as it’s important to me that my work closely represent reality and that I never invent detail that doesn’t actually exist.

If there is a theme to my work, it is that whole worlds of beauty and intricate detail are all around us, and that technology can reveal them. My subjects are not rare or unique. My techniques are not incomprehensible. My equipment is not expensive. With time and effort, you could take these very same images – and I think that’s beautiful.

I like to take pictures of much smaller things at much shorter distances than the lens designers intended, at high resolution and magnification, employing focus stacking and an occasional touch of AI to maximize sharpness and detail while maintaining an eye for accuracy. The natural world offers many excellent subjects, but I’ve been known to shoot man-made objects as well. Much of my work in this realm rewards those who view the full-resolution image and zoom in deeply.

I also like to take pictures of things much further away from the lens than the designers intended. That’s factually untrue, as most lenses can focus at or even beyond infinity, but it has nice symmetry with the previous wording so I’m keeping it.

The night sky is beautiful, but very hard to see through the hazy skies of Las Vegas, the city that took the concept of light pollution as a personal challenge. It’s only through large quantities of careful imaging and heavy post-processing that I’m able to see most stars at all. Some day I’ll get to a proper dark site…

One of my favorite things is to get out into nature. I love hiking, camping, biking, rafting – even just sitting in a park can be an excellent escape from urban/suburban life. I’m a huge fan of animals of every variety. I have a small menagerie at home and am always looking for new natural hotspots for weekends and vacations.

I live in Las Vegas, so the local flora and fauna aren’t exactly abundant and varied, but you’d be surprised what you can still find within city limits, and how short a trip it is to some truly wild places. The deserts of the American Southwest are an amazing place and make up the bulk of my wanderings, but I do make the occasional trip to other regions.