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:Deep inside Fort Worden, I liked the spooky nature of this image. What I don't like in the picture:Trying to preserve some shadow detail, I used my giant flashlight to boost the darkest parts of this image. Doing so, however, removed all the spookiness from the image. What I learned:What makes spookiness is dark — but not black. There has to be just a hint of something in the shadows that imply without revealing. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI left this with the color balance as the camera captured it. It might be interesting to play around with the color balance to find and even scarier color. |
