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
Pictures Come from Pictures WeekAfter recently posting the 1,000th episode in this series, I took the week to scan back — way back — to my beginnings. I looked at a contact sheet (above) from my film archives and compare it to a more recent image of the same visual idea. It was fun, so I'm doing it again this week. There is nothing new under the sun, or as Carl Chiarenza says, "Pictures come from pictures." The Backstory:When I made the image at left (2015), I had no recollection of attempting this composition of a leaning tree over an expanse. I was surprised when I found the above contact sheet in my files from 1995. Clearly, I had this idea in mind for 20 years until I found the tree at left was the perfect candidate for this idea. There is more to this story here. |
