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:This is shop in a potter's studio. Lovely light through the window. What I don't like in the picture:For some reason, I react negatively to architectural shots where the vertical lines are converging. It feels sloppy, poorly composed. This is especially true when all it would have required to correct things would be to raise or lower the camera a few inches. What I learned:Fortunately, digital correction is easily accomplished with the transform tool. With the one above that has been optically corrected, I can breath easier. I knew at the time of exposure that this one would require a transform correction, so I shot it with a little wider focal length so the transform that stretches and crops the image a bit would not lose any important elements. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextOf all the images I captured from this trip to pottery country in North Carolina, this is one of my favorites. |
