Brooks Jensen Arts - Every Picture Is a Compromise

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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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What I saw that I liked:

A nice, quiet scene in a temple in Japan.

What I learned:

"I'll take care of it in post" is a strategy I've disliked since my film days. It feels like an excuse for being lazy in the field. But the reality is that today's post-processing is so powerful that "I'll take care of it in post" is not such a bad strategy these days.

This scene was quite contrasty, but I knew I could raise the shadow a lot easier than I could recover blown out highlilghts. I under-exposed a bit knowing I could take care of it in post.
Rectified verticals. In my view camera days, this was a time-consuming task. Here, I knew I could take care of it in post.
There is a pull-chain hanging down above the door. Take care of it in post.
Not crazy about the blue cast on the tiles in the fence outside the door. Take care of it in post.
I want a little more texture in the walkway just outside the door. Take of it in post.

Seriously, "take care of it in post" is a pretty useable strategy these days. I need to retrain my brain to stop feeling guilty about this and just use the tools, keeping their limitations in mind at the same time.