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:A steep hillside of bentonite with this rock held in position. Convenient tree for the composition. What I don't like in the picture:The hillside doesn't look all that steep. What I learned:This is an example of how a long focal length will optically flatten an image. Moving just a bit and changing my angle to the hillside allowed me to include two rock and make the hillside look steep — like I'd wanted in the original image above. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextDiagonal lines are our friends. |
