Brooks Jensen Arts - Every Picture Is a Compromise

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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 Circles Week

In a recent Here's a Thought... commentary I discussed the square format and the use of diagonals. This week I'll illustrate a similar idea using the square 1:1 aspect ratio image with circles and curves in the composition.

What I saw that I liked:

And I think I have a tough job! Imagine how this guy must feel at the end of a shift.

What I don't like in the picture:

The yellow tanks in the upper right motivated me to immediately convert this to b/w.

What I learned:

Weeks later, after working on this image and project for over a month, I had one of those "slap the forehead" moments and simply cropped the image to a square. Way better, way easier. Just goes to show hos the camera's native aspect ratio can seep into our habits without us even noticing.