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:These kinds of unexpected scenes are why I love travelling to Asia. What I don't like in the picture:What in the world possessed me to make this image at an angle to the wall? What in the world prossessed me to underexpose this image be several stops? I need a button on my camera "Engage Brain." I wonder what that would cost? What I learned:I've tried to salvage this image with cropping and a little fake shadow, but it still fails. I want to like this one, but it just lays there on the page without anything to get me excited. Come to think of it, I have a lot of these kinds of images. I hope it's just part of the process and not my lack of creative vision. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextMore highlights? |
