Every Picture Is a Compromise
Lessons from the Also-rans
Most photography websites show the photographer's very best work. Wonderful. But that's not the full story of a creative life. If we want to learn, we'd better pay attention to the images that aren't "greatest hits" and see what lessons they have to offer. Every picture is a compromise — the sum of its parts, optical, technical, visual, emotional, and even cosmic – well, maybe not cosmic, but sometimes spiritual. Success on all fronts is rare. It's ok to learn from those that are not our best.
This is a series about my also-rans, some of which I've been able to improve at bit (i.e., "best effort"), none of which I would consider my best. With each there are lessons worth sharing, so I will.
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Original digital capture
What I saw that I liked:That little puff of cloud under all the others. What I don't like in the picture:Flat, flat light. What I learned:Elsewhere, I discussed the lesson I learned when photographing the smoky Grand Canyon last year. I was able to salvage a lot of those images with the Dehaze Tool in Lightroom. One of the interesting things about learning a new tool/technique like that is looking back in your Lightroom catalog for other images that might benefit from the same technique. I found this one from 2020 in Death Valley and was amazed at how much I was able to pull out of those bland shadows. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextThis is a straight gray scale. Maybe I should warm tone it! |
