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
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:
I love this kind of light that sneaks into a room through a side window.
What I don't like in the picture:
The door at left in the above compositions is not adding anything. In fact, it's distracting. The right-front corner of the table is cut off. The picture above is whacked off. The door frame on the far right is skewed.
What I learned:
Eliminate, eliminate, eliminate the unnecessary. I leaned into the room and recomposed to get the view at left. Much better by the simple elimination of the door, picture and the additional light reflections off the door in the cabinet. I didn't even see the glove while I was there, but it looks great in the finished shot. |
|
