Brooks Jensen Arts - Every Picture Is a Compromise

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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

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Both Orientations

It seems like any given scene would be best as either a portrait orientation or a landscape orientation image, but not both. Even so, having both can provide options in the finished project that might be important.

What I saw that I liked:

That barren line of trees first caught my eye, but then that cloud blew into position just perfectly.

The Portrait Orientation Version:

The portrait orientation at left cuts off a few of the trees on the left and the right. How many trees do we need to see "trees" in the foreground? Losing a few trees is a worthy sacrifice because that adds emphasis to that lonely cloud.

The Landscape Orientation Version:

More about the trees than the cloud. I would use this one in a project about trees. I might even crop the top to eliminate the cloud.