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
What I saw that I liked:Will we ever tire of photographing fall leaves? I sure hope not. What I don't like in the picture:The above is a wudge of color without composition or even looking much like a tree. What I learned:Even with something as naturally photogenic as fall leaves, we still need to search for a composition that organizes the content into a pleasing layout. The version at left is a series of diagonal lines created both by the tree branches as well as the colors themselves. I didn't have to work too hard at it to find this image, but I did have to realize that the earlier image above wasn't going to suffice. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI'm hoping this one prints as lovely as it looks on my monitor. |
