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
Failures in the WoodsThis week's podcast at www.lenswork.com discusses different strategies for different landscapes. Dovetailing with those thoughts, this week I'll illustrate the challenges of photographing in the woods. What I saw that I liked:Forests are lots and lots of green. I love green. What I learned:So what is the difference between the failure above and the better image at left? They are both a giant jumble, but at least the one at left brings a little bit of order to the chaos. To me, that's the key to working in the forest; it's always a struggle to find a composition that brings a little order to the chaos. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextBTW, watch out for green. Bayer filters in digital cameras have more green receptor than either red or blue receptors. In a vibrant forest, it's easy to get too much green. I almost always find that my images in these deep forest locations need just a bit of desaturation in the greens and maybe the yellows, too. Otherwise they look "over-cooked" in the color department. |
