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.
Previous image | Next image |
Original digital capture
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:
I was looking for three-dimensionality in this one. Fortunately, that leaf floated by at the perfect moment.
What I don't like in the picture:
The yellow in the leaf is not needed in this image. It's mostly monochromatic throughout, so why not just make it b/w?
What I learned:
I'm not sure you can see it on your screen, but the boat and the people at the top are slightly out of focus. The leaf is great, but the boat messes up the image. In the version I actually used in a project, I cloned in a boat from another RAW capture, one that was in focus. I'm perfectly comfortable with such processing cheats. After all, this is personally expressive art, not documentary. |
|
