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
On Second Thought . . .
When I'm out photographing, I'm "gathering assets" for future projects that will be developed back in my studio. That means that field work is often just responding to what I see and feel. I've learned, however, that my first response is not always my best. This week will be examples where I had second thoughts in the field — and am so glad that I did.
What I saw that I liked:
The shape of the tree above is fun. My photograph of it is not.
What I don't like in the picture:
Sort of just lays there, sleepy, without anything that might induce us to a second look.
What I learned:
Color balance has creative potential. By warming this image quite a bit, I discovered the image at left hiding in the "normal colors" of the image above. Does color have to be visually accurate to make an interesting picture? Evidently not, as lease not for my eyes. I ignored the boring version above for years because I could only see it in its accurate color balance. Once I let go of accuracy and played around with emotional impact, the image at left became a favorite. |
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