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:A hanging plumb bob in a shipyard. What I don't like in the picture:The writing in the upper right corner is a distraction. What I learned:Cloning can remove bits like this. These days, however, we have an even better tool in AI removal. After that, I reassessed and realized the blue cool color of the metal was also a distraction. I had completely missed that in my initial processing. The desaturated version at left is a huge improvement. I suppose I could also have intensified the blue to create even greater contrast with the gold color of the plumb bob. |
