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
A Spot of Light
We are advised that a good photo is "well lit." It can be, but there are alternatives to "well lit" like, for example, "spot lit." It's one of my favorite types of light as will be shown this week.
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What I saw that I liked:
There are three little brush strokes of light in this image.
What I don't like in the picture:
Is the color necessary? Is this image "about color" or "about light?"
What I learned:
When the light is all about the light, let it shine! No need to cloud the issue with color. More often than not, I find spotlight images do best in b/w. Not always, but often. In these two, the above just shouts the color because shadows lose color. In the version at left, the lit areas are the same luminance as the above, but seem brighter because I darkened the background a tad. I often find that these types of image live or suffer base not on the illuminated area but rather on the hint of background in the deep shadows. |
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