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.
|
Original digital capture
What I saw that I liked:Bill Jay did a project where he photographed others in the process of making a photograph. It was so crowded in this temple known as Enkouji in Kyoto, I thought I'd try Bill's approach. What I don't like in the picture:Unfortunately, all the other photographers where either making selfies or photographing their companions doing the Kodak pose. What I learned:The more I thought about this, the more I realized I wanted people interacting with the place, not their camera. Once I grabbed ahold of that idea, I found a number of examples and was able to turn this into a small game that was a lot of fun. The one at left is one of the better ones. Are we agreed that this is a lot more interesting than observing a selfie in progress? 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI think I might want to soften the contrast of the image at left. I think. |
