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
Extreme Salvage Week Images where something was made from practically nothing. What I saw that I liked:I can't decide if this is a melted emoji or the planet Neptune. What I don't like in the picture:Flat, underexposed, lifeless. Other than that… What I learned:Push, push, push. Buried in that crappy capture may be something of interest if we can just coax it out. The theme of this week is that old refrain, "It's not what you take, it's what you make that counts." |
