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:These old windmills are one of the great iconic symbols of the old West. What I don't like in the picture:The wires don't help. And the fact that I took a picture of the thing doesn't tell any story. It's just a picture of a thing. What I learned:Context is incredibly important. What first caught my eye in the scene at left was the leading line of the fence going right to the windmill. Interestingly enough, now that I've worked on this image for a while, I realize it's the color and sparsity of the dried grasses and rabbit bush that make this an interesting image. Sometimes we make the right image capture for the wrong reasons. Oh, well. Let's not reject the lucky ones. |
