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
One Big Change Week
I often find that a bad looking image can be one big change away from success. It's as though that one big change is a key that opens the door. Once the door opens, smaller changes can still improve the image, but without the one big change the image is lost.
What I saw that I liked:
An old chair in an abandoned bus depot.
The One Big Change: Positioning
Ansel Adams supposedly said that the most important decision in photograph is where to stand. I think he's right, even if he never said it.
What I learned:
The image above just seems out of balance. A sensitivity to position makes this image at least feel purposeful. When I look at a photograph and my first reaction is, "This is a mistake" I know I'm in trouble. The version at left isn't a great image, but it doesn't look like a mistake.
2nd Chances: What I might try next
Another one I might look at again as a color image.
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