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
What I saw that I liked:This shaft of light reaching the forest floor was a seed image for a small project. What I don't like in the picture:Not crazy about the subject of the above, but the light was fun! What I learned:This is a great example of listening to our creative impulses. I knew the stick wasn't the subject, but when I simply looked for that same kind of light on other things, I knew I had a winner. Lemons into lemonade. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextUsing this one type of light, I did a small project for Kokoro titled Deep Forest Fern. |
