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:A little falls in the Washington Cascades. What I don't like in the picture:It's almost impossible to photograph in the Washington Cascades without there being some amount of mist, fog, dust, or haze in the air. What I learned:One of my favorite new tools in processing is the Dehaze tool in Lightroom. A little sharpening, a little clarity, a dash of Dehaze surrounded by a pinch of vignetting and a blah image can be salvaged to something at least not awful. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI need to search through my Lightroom catalog of others that might go with this image. |
