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:Generally speaking, I like dramatic clouds in a composition. What I don't like in the picture:For some reason, that cloud in the above is not great. Is it the blue sky to the right? Is it the fact that it draws our eye away from the color of the forest? What I learned:Sometimes, the best clouds are the ones that aren't in the picture. After photographing lots of hillsides of yellow leaves, I decided to look up. The version at left has no clouds, but I like the way the blue sky sets off the yellow leaves. In this case, the insertion of a cloud into the composition would not help. |
