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
Overlooked Week
For some time now, I've advocated mining our Lightroom catalog for forgotten and overlooked gems. This week will include successful images that pulled my attention away from other images that have remained hidden gems — but have recently been rediscovered.
What I saw that I liked:
I knew this moon over a Hawaiian tree was a winner. The sense of worship in the version above is just great. I've used this image in a couple of different projects, including my "60 at 60" project where it made one of my top 60 images from my entire life.
What I uncovered in my archives:
The version at left I obviously made a bit before the one above, but then promptly forgot all about it. Even looking at that folder in Lightroom, I passed by this gem for 9 years. Doing a keyword search for "moon" I ran across this one. I can't believe I've never used this in a project. I will now! |
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