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.
Previous image | Next image |
Original digital capture
Gilded Age Week
I've been working on a long-term project photographing in historic Gilded Age homes here in upstate New York. Just getting started, but the project is finding its direction. Here are a few examples. BTW, all handheld at high ISO, then processed with AI Noise Reduction.
What I saw that I liked:
Truth be told, this project is less about a lifestyle in history than it is about the stuff that was a part of this life.
What I don't like in the picture:
The image above is of a thing. It could easily be an illustration for an auction catalog. This was one of the first images I made and almost immediately recognized its limitations as a thing, rather than a place.
What I learned:
Rather than stuff, I decided I wanted to focus on places like this one at left. The Gilded Age was all about excess. This letter writing table has such an excess of stuff that I can't imagine how one would use it to write a letter.
2nd Chances: What I might try next
I could be tempted to turn this into selective color by desaturating everything except the orange blossoms. Hmmm. . . |
|
