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:This wall of ferns at Longwood Gardens was fascinating. What I don't like in the picture:Unfortunately, this fellow was taking a break in the middle of my composition. What I learned:A slight swing of the camera to the right and these two chairs filled in nicely. In fact, better! I did desaturated the chairs to bring full attention to the green wall of ferns. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextJust for grins, I used Content-Aware Fill to remove the chairs. Without the chairs, it's just a wall of ferns. Here again, the human element adds so much to the image. |
