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:Sea lion in the wild. Fun! What I don't like in the picture:I use this as an example of why cropping in is never as good as using a longer lens. What I learned:The above image was photographed at a focal length eq of 400mm. That's a lot of optical reach. Nonetheless, the subject is pretty small in the frame. One might think, "Well, just crop in!" That's what I did at left. Is it awful? No, but it's not great, either. Cropping in should be used as a last resort. Getting closer is better (impossible in this instance). Using a longer lens is the next best choice (this was the longest lens I had). Cropping is usually not going to work very well and result in an okay,small print at best. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextDrone? |
