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:I've title this series "Every Picture Is a Compromise" and here is a great example of that from the Mount Baldy forest burn in central Washington state.. What I don't like in the picture:Ideally, we'd like to have our cake and eat it, too. The real world often presents us with a choice, but not both. Which of these two would you choose? The above with more interesting light? Or the one at left with a more interesting composition? What I learned:It's a trick question. We might be able to make a more interesting composition by lightening the rock in the lower left of the above. We might be able to make a more interesting patch of light with some selective dodging in the example at left. Tune in tomorrow to see examples. |
