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:In today's Podcast, I mentioned my first digital camera. Here is the first exposure I made with that first digital camera. A brief walk down memory lane. What I don't like in the picture:I had no idea what "white balance" is. I didn't know how to override the meter reading. I barely knew how to point and shoot. So that's what I did. What I learned:This first shot was also my introduction to the incredible power of Photoshop. I like the image at left that I was able to pull out of my incompetent version above. BTW, note the split tone where the shadows are a red/brown and the highlights are a cool blue. |
