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
Going Back
It's said that we can't go back. True enough, but we can revisit a place we've photographed before and find something new! In fact, it's almost guaranteed we'll find something new. Things (including ourselves) are constantly changing. This week are five examples of going back — and being really glad I did.
What I saw that I liked:
The above is an out-and-out mistake. I was so concentrated on the tree in the background that I completely missed that I had cut off the bottom of the stone lantern. I blame my bifocals.
When I had another chance:
The above is from the Portland, Oregon Japanese Garden.
What I learned:
Before I had a chance to revisit the Portland garden, I visited the Seattle Japanese Garden. Remembering that failure above, I made the composition at left. Sometimes going back is not really going back, but is remembering. With this in mind, I think it's useful to remember our failures as well as our successes. I'm pretty sure I would not have made the image at left if I hadn't remembered the mistake in the above.
The deeper mistake above was concentrating on the tree rather than the relationship between the tree and the lantern. The version at left emphasizes that relationship. |
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