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
More First Days with
an Early Digital Camera
This week I'm again looking at five images from my very first days with a digital camera. Lesson #1 - don't ever throw away a digital capture because advancing technology will provide unanticipated possibilities. Lesson #2, you will continue to learn — lots — and that is just as it should be.
What I saw that I liked:
Fun frosted plants along the shore of yesterday's image.
What I don't like in the picture:
As a former b/w film guy with his first digital camera, I had no idea what "color balance" was nor when or how to use it. I just shot. A little too blue, wouldn't you agree?
What I learned:
Even after I learned about color balance, I still couldn't get the above to look right. I almost deleted the RAW file. Fortunately however, this image taught me to let go of the binary thinking that I had grown up with in the analog days. With digital, we can flip between color and monochromatic with ease. I like the b/w version at left. Glad I didn't delete this one. Really glad I learned that we no longer had to chose b/w or color based on the film we purchased. |
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