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:Three cheers for dirt roads! What I don't like in the picture:Not sure why I thought this would be best as a landscape orientation, but I was wrong. The entire lower left is yucky. (That's an official fine art photography term.) What I learned:Fifty yards down the road, I made the portrait orientation image at left. It's better, but blah. (That's another official fine art photography term.) 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI need to create some fake sunshine; or insert a few sheep; or a quaint farmer; or a nude. Aren't you glad I didn't make this a self-portrait in the landscape? |
