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:
This is from the outdoor meat market in Anchang Village outside of Hangzhou, China. Lots of great image there, but not if you are squeamish about meat. I used the above in a project titled, Gratitude. It's all about thanking these creatures whose life now sustains us.
What I uncovered in my archives:
An image I didn't use is the one at left. I wish I had. The addition of that sign add so much — that it's in China, that these geese are for sale, that this is a market display. I wouldn't have needed text to explain all of this had I used this image at the beginning of the project. Now that I've rediscovered this image, I might need to do a "market project." I have other images from other locations in China that might go with this image.
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