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:Storm light in the Palouse. What I don't like in the picture:Maybe it's just me, but clouds aren't blue when I look at them. They always photograph blue. What I learned:I know this is a matter of personal taste and personal interpretation, but I regularly desaturate the blue in clouds so they look in my photographs like they feel in real life. I particularly don't like it when the blue in the clouds shifts a bit toward the purple as it does in the one above. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI think I need to work a bit more on this one to increase the drama. More contrast in the clouds and more brightness in the fields. |
