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:I've seen other photographers' images of the tile roofs in China and Japan and always liked them. What I don't like in the picture:When I had a chance to photograph a roof, I was delighted to do so but disappointed with the distraction of the lower left. I tried cloning, but that didn't look right. What I learned:Sometimes we make images that need help that is currently unavailable. Patience is a virtue. When AI Removal became available, this was one of the first images I tried to fix with AI Removal. Worked beautifully. Another reason why we should never throw away an image file that we can't process today. Who knows what solutions my be just around the technological corner? |
