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:Does it occur to you that these two pictures are essentially the same? What I don't like in the picture:Sometimes I become so locked into a composition that I forget to ask whether the composition is helping or hurting my intentions. What I learned:A receding lines perspective like we see in both of these images has the potential to override any emotional content that could appear in the image. The image becomes all about the composition rather than the emotional intent. I'm not saying a vanishing point should be avoided, but rather that it is such a powerful visual component that it can overpower anything else you are trying to communicate in the image. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextBilaterally symmetric perspective is not the only option. |
