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:The idea was to use the foreground trees to contrast with the Japanese temple behind. What I don't like in the picture:Might have been a good idea, except for:
Other than that, it was a good idea. Ok, it was a bad idea from the get go. What I learned:The concept might have been ok, but the choice of subjects was ill-advised. (Who gave me such lousy advice?) The guardian lion is a better choice for the foreground, but it's still not very interesting. My only excuse is that this was Day 1, Location 1 of my trip to Japan. Call it a "warm-up" image — just to get the juices flowing. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextB/W? |
