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
Images that led to projects
In my Here's a Thought … commentary #2530 Searching For the Thread That Binds, I proposed that a project can grow out of a single image. In fact, sometimes multiple project can grow from the same image. This week will be examples from my Kokoro publication of projects and the thread that binds them into a unified artistic expression.
What I saw that I liked:
The image above was captured in eastern Oregon where I was turning around the truck to head back to town and dinner. The reflection of the moon immediately struck me a very haiku-like.
The Possible Threads:
Knowing that image reminded me of haiku, during my next trip to Japan I worked on gathering images that would feel to me like the subject of a haiku.
The Project:
In the project Waiting for a Haiku, I came to the realization that Japan itself is a haven for haiku inspiration at every turn. I'm not a haiku poet, but I was able to invoke that feeling with this project.
Of note is the fact that the image at left (photographed in Kyoto) was also included as a b/w image in my project Pines in the Sky you can find in this PDF of Kokoro. In project photography, I find it not unusual at all that a given image fits into more than one project. In fact, this image was used as the cover image in Pines in the Sky.
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