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
Failing X3:It's a rare thing when the focus in a photograph fails for three separate but simultaneous reasons. The above image in a Chinese street market is blurry because the subject moving; is also blurry because my camera was moving (1/8th sec exposure; and is also blurry because the camera didn't grab focus fast enough in this dark area. A trifecta of failure. I should win something for this, shouldn't I? What I learned:Interestingly enough, the one at left was photographed 15 seconds later with exactly the same lens, focal length, ISO rating, shutter speed, and aperture. It's not always about technology, but is often about execution. The human factor. So what is the difference between these two? In the one above, I pressed the shutter in a jerky, instantaneous movement. I blasted right past the "half press focus" and lost everything. In the one at left, I half-pressed and got focus lock, held the camera sable and got the shot. The human factor. |
