Brooks Jensen Arts - Every Picture Is a Compromise

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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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Squares and Diagonals Week

In a recent Here's a Thought... commentary I discussed the square format and the use of diagonals. This week I'll illustrate this with examples all using a 1:1 aspect ratio with a strong diagonal in the composition.

What I saw that I liked:

These tiles on the roof of a temple in Japan are a gorgeous black ceramic.

What I don't like in the picture:

I used the above crop in a couple of projects, but I've recently realized that cropping in on the left makes the image even stronger. Square format wins again!

What I learned:

I photographed this image in 2009. Here in 2024 I've finally learned how to crop it. It is so easy to just accept the default aspect ratio of our cameras; we should really pay attention to the strongest crop and aspect ratio that the image demands — camera aspect ratio be damned.