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 love the precision of Japanese carpentry. This is a walkway in the Portland Japanese Garden. What I don't like in the picture:In the above, I zoomed in a tad too much. What I learned:The key element in this composition to my eye is the white of the heads of the nails. They need to glow. In the version at left, I brightened the white to get that effect. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextBrightening those whites, however, lightened the texture in the wood patterns, too. That draws our eye away from the nail heads. I think I need to do some brush painting to darken the whites in that one board. |
