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
New Tools Week
How are we not continually amazed at the new processing tools that make possible images that were impossible to earlier technologies? This week will feature five digital tools that salvage what otherwise would be a total loss: Focus Stacking, Super Resolution, DeNoise, Color Mixer, and Stitching
The Tool:
I had only two days to visit the Grand Canyon and both days the air was very hazy due to forest fire smoke blowing in from the west.
What I don't like in the capture:
The haze suppresses the detail and also makes for an odd-looking color rendition.
What I used:
The combination of Lightroom's DeHaze tool and converting the image to b/w created stunning images of the details in the canyon and the shadows from the cumulus clouds overhead. I was thrilled. You can see more of this technique in this PDF that includes my project, Facing the Grand Canyon.
Comments:
I had a very interesting experience that day. A woman with an extensive and impressive amount of gear came up to the overlook while I was making an exposure. She took one look at the haze, commented to her companion that she couldn't make a photograph under these conditions, packed up her gear and left. I suspect she had no idea of the possibility of using software to overcome the limitations of the day. I felt kind of sorry for her, but then I thought about all the times this has probably happened to me during my decades as a photographer. This experience reinforced my idea that being an artist is all about overcoming the limitations that get in the way.
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