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:I was tired, so I sat down on a bench for a rest. Looking in front of me, I realized people were streaming past me on this sidewalk and that I might be able to just sit there and capture an interesting "street photography" moment. What I don't like in the picture:Thank God I wasn't using expensive film for this disastrous experiment. The two at left are the "best" of the 35 images I snapped. Yikes. What I learned:I am not Garry Winogrand. I'm ok with that. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextWould I have made something more interesting if I'd stayed there and made 1000 images? 10,000 images? As far as I can understand it, that was the Winogrand method. Maybe I just gave up too soon. We'll never know. |
