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:Devlis Tower is such an impressive hunk of rock. What I don't like in the picture:The version above was photographed just as I arrived. The light is lovely, a low, late-October angle of light. Lovely. But in the above, the dull, gray sky is not exciting in the least. What I learned:I spent a couple of hours photographing here and thankfully the clouds started to break up and I was able to make the image at left. Much more interesting. My shot of Devils Tower is certainly not unique. A search on the Internet will reveal many, many examples. What might be different, however, will be if I use this in a project I'm hoping to do about big rocks. Using this image in a new context might help it not look so much like a tourist shot. |
