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:Last week I mentioned that a wide angle lens was not the answer if Iwanted a wide photograph. Here is an example. What I don't like in the picture:The above is the temple entrance, but doesn't give a sense of the scene nearly as effectively as the pano at left. What I learned:Panoramas are so easy to do in a digital workflow. I really need to think more in terms of panos when I want to show a wide scene. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextWith panos in mind, I sure wish I could develop a better method of hanging them on the wall than just standard framining. It's so expensive to frame a panorama! |
