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
Film Contact Sheet to Digital Image
I think my generation has been the luckiest in the entire history of photography. We have roots in both the analog and digital workflows. From the odor of Hypo to the click of a Lightroom preset. This week is a nostalgic look back at contact sheets and the images that came from them via the hybrid processing of a negative scan.
What I saw that I liked:
Fort Rock in central Oregon has been one of my favorite locations for decades. What a spectacular day this was with those sumptuous clouds.
What I don't like in the picture:
Clouds require a gentle touch in processing. I wanted a soft contrast in the sky but an extreme contrast in the narrow strip of land that is Fort Rock and the horizon right and left.
What I learned:
Here again, the ability to do very localized processing was a great help in getting this one just right. Not sure why I shot this four times (see the contact sheet above) but at least I got the one I wanted. |
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