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
Get Closer WeekAny advice that is supposed to be universal is probably bad advice. That said, I think there are very few pictures that aren't improved by moving closer. This week's examples might help illustrate the wisdom of simply taking a step or two toward the subject, or at least zooming in a bit. What I saw that I liked:Lovely rock. I guess you know you are a west coast landscape photographer when you use the phrase, "lovely rock." What I don't like in the picture:I stopped the car to make the image above knowing that I would need to eliminate the road signs with the cloning tool in Photoshop. Photographed it anyway. What I learned:I pulled a few feet forward and found the problem of the road signs was eliminated. I could still have a gap between the two trees and an even better detail in both the light rock in the foreground and the dark wall in the background. I also got rid of that bothersome sky in the above. Both were shot at 18mm, so the size difference in this one is strickly from moving closer to the subject. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextIs there enough in the textures to try this as a b/w image? |
