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:
Curious rocks in the Grand Canyon.
The One Big Change: Background
Backgrounds are tricky. If there is too much detail in the background, it distracts from the subject. If there is too little visible in the background, the subject looks isolated. Sometimes this is exactly what we want, but more often I find I'm trying to connect the subject to the background in a sort of visual relationship.
What I learned:
I darkened the background and then created a background mask and further darkened the highlights. The sweet spot is where there is some slight detail visible in the background without pulling our eye away from the subject.
2nd Chances: What I might try next
This needs to be a warm-toned image.
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