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.
|
Original digital capture
What I saw that I liked:This is nothing more exotic than the cut at the side of the road. What I don't like in the picture:I like the colors in the above, but to my eye this image is not about the colors. What I learned:There are places that we know are going to be photogenic. They become destinations. In order to get there, however, we will likely drive past innumerable potential scenes and composition. We pulled off the side of the road to look at a buffalo that was off to our right, grazing lazily in the grass. I happened to look to my left and saw this erosion pattern. That old 180° rule about looking behind us for things we might not even see. |
