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.
Previous image | Next image |
Original digital capture
Drama in the Sky
Landscape photography is often more about the sky than it is about the land. Nothing worse for a landscape photographer than a bald, featureless sky. This week's set of images are all about using drama in the sky to make the picture.
What I saw that I liked:
Anytime I see dramatic clouds forming I pull out my camera.
What I don't like in the picture:
Clouds along rarely make a picture by themselves. In the above there is the that hill that is a point of contrast, but the orange trees become the focus of the image because the hillside in the background is banal.
What I learned:
It is the inclusion of the white trees (thanks to a fortuitous beam of sunlight) in the foreground of the image at left that make this image a favorite of mine. Those trees owe their significance in the image to the dark hill in the background. Great. Add the dramatic clouds and its a sweet trifecta. And that is the sequence that captured my attention — first the clouds, then the hill, and then (surprise, surprise!) the trees. Couldn't pull my camera out fast enough! |
|
