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
Potential Project Ideas Week
I'm on a two-month long trip to the West coast to do some photography and a couple of presentations. This week, I'll explore some potential projects from my first couple of weeks on the road.
What I saw that I liked:
I've never been to Niagara Falls, so the seduction to be a tourist was strong. I may only be speaking for myself here, but I can't be a tourist and at the same time be an artist. They are competing responses.
What I don't like in the picture:
As a tourist, I'm motivated to photograph the thing. As an artist, I find myself in a different head-space where I need to open my senses and thoughts to the experience, not the object. The image above is a bad shot of the falls. Not even a good tourist shot.
What I learned:
The overwhelming experience I had of the falls was not the water plunging over the cliff, but rather the mist rising from the depths. The tourist in me saw FALLS; the artist in me experienced MIST.
The image at left does a much better job of portraying my emotional response to the scene. I'm not sure I have enough images for a Seeing in SIXES project, but I might. This one will require some work after I'm back home.
Additional comments
The other activity that overwhelmed the scene were all the tourist taking selfies. I might find a project there, too. |
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