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.
Previous image | Next image |
Original digital capture
What I saw that I liked:This location is upriver from Portland, Oregon on a hillside overlooking the Columbia River. A character named Sam Hill built this replica of Stonehenge. What I don't like in the picture:I've tried for years to make a photograph I'd be happy to show, but I've failed over and over. It's a cool place, but I just can't find a way to make an interesting photograph there, until . . . What I learned:I showed up with a fish-eye lens that allowed me to distort the world in all kinds of fun ways. As you can see at left, the lens I have truncates the edges of the view, so it's not a full fish-eye. I'm going to get one, however, because of Stonehenge. BTW, the title of this image is Fish-henge. |
