Brooks Jensen Arts - Every Picture Is a Compromise

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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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More fun with Film Noir

Last week was Film Noir week. I had so much fun processing images for that film noir look that I have another five for this week. I'm starting to think about how to string these together with text or voice over to tell a hard-boiled story. Now I just need to practice my Humphrey Bogart delivery.

What I saw that I liked:

A fun shape that glows out of the deep shadows of film noir.

What I learned:

Film noir often uses backgrounds and scene sets that defy identification. They exist in the film to create mood and mystery. This shot is actually from behind a flight of metal stairs, but I turned in 90° clockwise to make it look more like a wall or perhaps a light of some kind. It's all about creating a mood, not clarifying what we are looking at.