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:This building is at the old Hecla Mine in Wallace, Idaho. What I don't like in the picture:My first shot was the above with the repeating verticals. It's more of an abstract than a view of the old building. I used this image in a project about abstracts and it works in that context. What I learned:The image at left was the next composition of the day. Unlike the above in all verticals, the version at left plays the contrast of verticals and angular lines. It still leans toward the abstract, but also feels like a view of an old building. Isn't it interesting how the same building can make such different images? Maybe this demonstrates that the subject doesn't make the image; the photographer does. |
