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
First Days with an Early Digital Camera
This week I'm looking at five images from my very first days with a digital camera. These come from a day in 1998 at the Sun Yat Sen Chinese garden in Vancouver, BC. So much to learn! That said, I'm amazed what I can pull out of this early 6 megapixel Fuji S602 with its tiny sensor by using today's software that has had 30 years of development. I talked about this in one of my Here's a Thought… commentaries here.
What I saw that I liked:
I've used this image before in Here's a Thought #551. Curiously enough, I thought just the opposite back then than I do now.
What I don't like in the picture:
Here is the version above where I loved the intensified color. Today, I prefer the version at left with the lighter beam just below the roof line, all rendered in grayscale.
What I learned:
We change. Hopefully mature. This is precisely why I believe the date of the print is more important than the date we clicked the shutter. As far as provenance goes, the date we made the print is a more important bit of data about our lifelong process and decision making. |
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