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:Maureen used to call these kinds of images "smudge-o-graphs." I have lots of them — walls and flat surfaces. What I don't like in the picture:Why does the one above not work and the one to the left does? I've never been able to verbalize this or even codify it. I just know in my bones that the one above bores me. The one on the left is at least less boring. What I learned:Is this a Rorschach thing? 2nd Chances: What I might try nextOr is it color? What if I made the one above have color? What if I blended the two? Hmmm . . . I kinda like it. |
