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:I'm not sure I've ever met a rock wall I didn't like, or at least see an image or two in the patterns. What I don't like in the picture:On a hike with the family, I passed this rock wall. Pulled out my snapshot camera and made the above. Nothing to write home about, but it got me looking more seriously. What I learned:Further down the trail, I found the image at left. Rock wall? Or, angry waves on a turbulent sea? As Minor White so famously said, " Don't just photograph what it is; photograph what else it is." Photography is — or can be — a marvelous medium for metaphor. |
