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
Extreme Salvage Week Images that started with a steaming pile of yuck. What I saw that I liked:Floating is such a fun metaphor. What I don't like in the picture:Too much to mention, but the bottom line is that it's not an image I was ever tempted to use anywhere. What I learned:But then, I starte playing around. Rotated it 180-degrees. Turned it into a b/w, but that was unexciting. Bringing the leaf back to color was the answer. I still haven't used it anywhere, but I like it better than the original. |
