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.
Previous image | Next image |
Original digital capture
Yellow Plus
Fall colors are a favorite for many photographers, myself included. Eventually, however, splashes of yellow after splashes of yellow can get a little repetitious. That's when to start looking for some additional element that goes beyond more or more intense yellows. One of my favorite plus elements is atmosphere — clouds, mist, fog, haze — anything that makes the air visible. As Jay Maisel said, "Never trust air you can't see."
What I saw that I liked:
From this recent trip into the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, I have several hundred images like the one above — a wall of color on a hillside.
What I learned:
Trees exist in an environment that can be combined with their exuberant fall display. In the image at left, the fog-shrouded mountain peak is the element of "plus" in this image, but don't overlook the importance of the dark tree on the left edge. That tree provides a sense of scale and rectitude that is important in the composition.
2nd Chances: What I might try next
I thought about removing those few branches in the upper right, but then realized they add and important presence of another tree we can see except for those few branches. |
|
