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.
|
Original digital capture
What I saw that I liked:Monument Valley is simple breathtakingly wonderful to photograph. What I don't like in the picture:This day was incredibly smoky due to nearby forest fires. For previous generations of photographers, this would have been a day wasted in the field. What I learned:I'm not recommending the example at left as a spectacular photograph, but when you consider that this image is one result of aggressively processing the digital capture above, you have to be impressed with today's digital tools. This was entirely processed in Lightroom. If I were ever so motivated, I wouldn't hesitate at all to use this in a project. I might be cautious about making a large print, but anything from a web image to a small print would work just great in spite of the aggressive processing. Amazing! |
