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
Olana Failures and Recoveries
In the January 2026 issue of Kokoro, I presented images from the Olana historical site. It was a fascinating and fun place to photograph. Notice I did not say it was easy. This week, I'll show 5 images that were total failures and compare them to ones that made it into the final PDF.
What I saw that I liked:
Gotta get the piano.
What I don't like in the picture:
More often than I care to admit, I will snap off a capture or two without giving it much thought. That's what happened here. In the above shot, I obviously didn't give much attention to composition. I think I was too excited to jump into the session full blast.
What I learned:
In retrospect, I know better. I should have taken half and hour or so to just walk around, looking in the various rooms and assembling a rough "shot list." Not a bad practice and one that slows down the process. The image at left is the result of looking more seriously at the piano and paying attention to the edges, the light, the textures, and reflections. Lesson for myself: Excitement is good, but too much excitement just leads to frenetic sloppiness. |
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