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:There is the scene and then the way the seen makes us feel about what we are witnessing. What I don't like in the picture:The above has all the same elements as the version at left — but is boring! Unexciting clouds. Mushy hillside. Yuck. What I learned:I've preached for years that photography is about relationships. In the image at left, there is a relationship between the cloud and the top of that hill. They are locked in some sort of terrestrial conversation, with an undertone of suppressed antagonism. At least, that's what I see. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextThis one also made a lovely print. |
