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:Never underestimate the power of luck. I love the color of Bear Lake in Idaho, enhanced by the purple storm cloud. What I don't like in the picture:This is where the luck part comes in. Somehow, I have no idea how — my camera was set to JPG only, no RAW file. As I looked at this scene, I remember thinking, "I can match these strange colors in Lightroom because they surely won't capture the real colors I see." But the JPG did perfectly. What I learned:I repeat, never underestimate the power of luck. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextThe one at left was the "second chance." No question I prefer the horizonal composition over the vertical one. With the vertical, my eye is drawn to the dock; with the horizonal, the dock points to the water an pushed my eye to see the colors there and in the clouds. |
