Brooks Jensen Arts - Every Picture Is a Compromise

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Every Picture is a Compromise
A Series About Keepers, Also-rans, and Learning from Mistakes

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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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Fog Week

Fog is one of the great tools in photography. Jay Maisel has it right when he said, "Never trust air you can't see." Whenever I see fog building in the landscape, I grab my camera and head out. This week is a celebration of fog and some ideas that make fog images work — and a few pitfalls to avoid.

What I saw that I liked:

A white sky with a few birds — simple, minimalistic, and I totally am copying a fantastic image idea by Arun Patel in his wonderful book, Shanti.

What I don't like in the picture:

The color in the above ruins the image.

What I learned:

If the sky goes too light, you lose it and the edges of the image. Finding that tone that just barely not white is tricky. When you get it right, it can be wonderful.