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:Trees and clouds, trees and clouds, trees and clouds. Can't get enough of them. What I don't like in the picture:The clouds in the above are ok, but nothing special. We all have thousands of these shots. What I learned:Keep shooting, keep looking. Eventually, a fun cloud will appear out of nowhere. Sometimes they even look like giant white whales in the sky. I also like the way the cloud in the left image is not merely background for the trees. It's at least as important as the trees. Can't say that of the "background" clouds in the above. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextCan't quite tell if the trees got a little dark in the sky. Might need to double check the mask in this one to be sure that's not a processing error. |
