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
The Miracles of Technology Week
Extreme Colors
I've said for years that this is the best time in the history of photography to be a photographer. This week, I'll share an additional five "failures" that were rescued/improved by the miracles of software.
What I saw that I liked:
I have no idea what attracted me to the above, but I snapped it.
What I don't like in the picture:
When I first looked at it in Lightroom, I thought I might be able to salvage something as a b/w. Nope. Click the above small image to see it larger as a b/w. Yikes.
What I learned:
Somehow — don't ask me, I don't remember — I got onto this idea of photographs from the surface of the planet Venus. I used the one above as a complete color reversal to get the image at left. (Try that with film!) It became the title page for the project, Views from the Surface of Venus. Click the image at left to see the title graphic of that project. |
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