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.
|
Original digital capture
What I saw that I liked:That single leaf. What I don't like in the picture:Too much stuff in the background. What I learned:The late Jack Curran first introduced me to the aesthetic seen in the image at left. It's a simple enough thing to do and works with all kinds of images. It works well with the above to create the isolation and drama seen in the rendition at left. At what point, however, does such a processing technique become repetitious and lose its power? I'm still struggling with this because I like the technique but I don't want to like it too much. |
