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:Farm barn in rural China. What I don't like in the picture:Nine times out of ten, my advice is the get closer. Of course any maxim like that has exceptions and here is that exception. What I learned:After I had viewed the above image, I realized it simply didn't show enough of the context for an understanding. In the movie business, they use an "establishing shot" to set the context. That's a pretty good process in still photography, too. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextNeither of these are great photographs, but they both could be used in telling the right kinds of story. Sometimes photography is not about the splashy image, but more about a story that can be revealed in a group of images. |
