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:Love the way these orange kaki (persimmons) are such a contrast to the winter trees in Japan. What I don't like in the picture:The one above had too much background and the kaki get lost in the branches. What I learned:At left, I tried to process the kaki to a lighter, brighter orange and the background to an even more out of focus dark brown. Clearly, I've done a poor (aka, sloppy) job of it. There is a fake glow around the fruit that is bad processing. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextMore careful masking might recover this amateurish result. |
