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
What I saw that I liked:Love this tree tucked deep inside Capitol Reef's Grand Wash canyon. What I don't like in the picture:The colored rocks played havoc with the color balance. What I learned:I include this image in the series for one simple reason. Don't overlook AUTO. The "repaired" version at left is the result of the AUTO button in Lightroom. I think it did a pretty good job. For some purposes, I might just be done with it as is. If nothing else, the AUTO version gives me a better starting point for custom tweaks. In fact, it's not a bad habit to check the AUTO version before you jump into manual processing. If you don't like AUTO, just undo it! |
