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
Color Can Be a Distraction Week
Sometimes the color of the subject is the reason we pick up the camera. We should be aware, however, that sometimes color can pull our attention in ways we don't want it to. Converting to b/w as the potential to pull our attention back to the true subject of the image.
What I saw that I liked:
I'll admit that I was so captured by the red/orange of the blossom that the distracting leaves in the background were invisible to me.
What I don't like in the picture:
Not only are some of the leaves a distraction, but the more I looked at this one, the more I realized it was the contrast between the main blossom and the rest of the plant that was the interesting part of this image.
What I learned:
A little AI Remove tool and a conversion to b/w and then getting the blossom to the delicate white was all pretty easy in this one. The RAW capture above is a dead loser. The processed image at left is something I could easily see using in the botanical project. |
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