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:Big cumulus clouds are always an attraction for a landscape photographer. What I don't like in the picture:In the above capture, there isn't a relationship between the clouds up the right side of the image and that big one on the horizon. In fact, the position of the two creates that large almost empty blue sky that dominates the upper left. What I learned:It was the cloud on the horizon that first motivated me to pull out the camera. Turning this image into a panorama eliminates that blue sky problem and intensifies the cloud that first caught my attention. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI've learned that too much Clarity movement in Lightroom can over-cook the clouds. Did I push it too far in the image at left? |
