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:Late fall, dry country grasses. I just love the golden color. What I don't like in the picture:I'm not sure what I was thinking when photographing the above, but that green out-of-focus background is just awful. This was the first day of a two-week trip and this image was one of the first exposures of that morning. Clearly, I was still in the "warm-up period" where good images are rarely made. That first morning is usually all about getting back some muscle memory and finding my creative eyes again. What I learned:A week later during the same trip, I made the image at left. A far cry from the disaster above. This is one of the reasons I much prefer extended trips rather than a photographic weekend. It simply takes me a while to get back into a creative groove. I used to feel badly about that, but I've come to accept that it's just part of the process. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextBTW, the one at left made a lovely 13x19" print. |
