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
Color or B/W? WeekOne of the fundamental decisions in process our image is the question whether or not each image should be color or b/w. This week will be an exploration of that fundamental decision. What I saw that I liked:What you see at left is an accurate rendition of what my eyes saw at the moment of exposure. What I don't like in the picture:I used to have Lightroom convert all my images to b/w upon import. After all, I think of myself as a b/w photographer because those are my roots in photography. What I learned:Clearly there are times when a b/w rendition if best, but certainly not always. For some time now, I stopped using the import action to convert my images to b/w. Too many of them look great in color! The above b/w version is an abstract and I suppose it's ok. The color version at left, however, is titled Cosmic Jackrabbit Samurai Warrior. I don't think that title works with the b/w version above. |
