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:The gesture of the sweeping grass makes a nice composition. What I don't like in the picture:In the version above, the grasses are too chaotic, choppy. It looks like a bad haircut. What I learned:The idea was good, just the specifics failed above. Fortunately, I found another location — months later — that had grasses with a similar sweeping composition. I like this one much better. The lesson here to me is to not give up on a picture idea just because my first attempt doesn't thrill me. If the idea is a good one, another opportunity might arise in a new location, a different time of year, different weather conditions — or perhaps a different plant. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI tried this as a b/w and it was awful. Glad I didn't find this subject in my film days. |
