Brooks Jensen Arts - Every Picture Is a Compromise

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Every Picture is a Compromise
A Series About Keepers, Also-rans, and Learning from Mistakes

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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

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Fall Colors in B/W

Admittedly, few subjects in photography are more beloved than the annual forest extravaganza of fall colors. It may not be obvious, but that pertains to us b/w folks, too! This week will present five examples where beautiful colors also can make beautiful b/w renditions.

What I saw that I liked:

The adjacency of the dark green pines and the bright yellow aspen leaves.

What I see in the color picture:

The colors are so commanding that I tend to see only the colors in this image.

What I see in the b/w version:

The diagonals and the patterns are much more dominant in the b/w version. It emphasizes the weaving of the two forests. I get some of that in the color rendition, but it really comes through strongly in the b/w version at left.