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
Palouse Panorama Week
The region known as "The Palouse" in southeast Washington state has become a kind of mecca for photographers in recent years. A major wheat farming area, the Palouse offers all kinds of fascinating patterns and colors for photographers to explore. I always seem to gravitate to panorama format images, which will be the topic of images this week.
What I saw that I liked:
The Palouse is a region of storms and dramatic light. Fun!
What I don't like in the picture:
The above RAW capture renders the storm clouds in the sky with a bit too much blue for my liking.
What I learned:
The dramatic beam of light in the foreground is emphasized by the dark and ominous clouds in the distance. I moved those clouds away from blue and pushed them into the purples. Seems more threatening to my eye.
Cropping out the top half of the sky doesn't remove anything important. In fact, I think it draws our eye down to the sunlit patch even more strongly. This one is cropped to that 2.15:1 aspect ratio I mentioned yesterday.
2nd Chances: What I might try next
The more I look at this one, the more I'm tempted to desaturate the storm could a bit, more gray and less purple. I think. Need to try to be sure. |
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