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.
|
Original digital capture
What I saw that I liked:There are a few days each fall when the leaves are brightly colored yet thin enough that the trunk and branches of the trees are visible. Love those days. What I don't like in the picture:The version above has all that sky that I find distracting. What I learned:I've often used the term "distill" when talking about photographs. Distill to the essence. The image at left is a distilled version of the one above. Get rid of the distractions and what's left communicates more powerfully what we see. I confess that there were a couple of "holes" in the leaves that showed too much sky, so those were eliminated in processing. |
