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:I have no idea. What possible reason could I have had to photograph this barren tree against that distant and slightly out of focus background? What I don't like in the picture:"It's not what you take, but what you make that counts." A friend recently put it this way when discussing one of his images . . .
What I learned:Is the "produced" image at left a big winner? I don't think so, but it's a lot more interesting than the blah image from which I started and that the camera captured. Would I ever use the one at left in a project? Probably not, but I did learn the importance of trying something just to see where it might lead me. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI used Lightroom's new Lens Blur tool and I might need to go back and try different bokeh effects. Could be fun. |
