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:Solitary rock in a sea of vibrant green grass. What I don't like in the picture:I've often mentioned that so much of photography is eliminating the unnecessary. This is a good example. The one above shows the scene with all the unnecessary elements. What I learned:Simply zooming in (from 60mm to 127mm) gets rid of so much of the fluff. Still not a great image, but at least it's better than the distractions in the one above. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextIf I had made a second exposure with focus bracketing, I could have eliminated the out of focus grass. Would that make it better? |
