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:I'm not certain what it is about clothes left in abandoned places that is so seductive. A human touch? A sense of loss? What I learned:Here are two examples and for my eye, the one of the shoe is a more powerful image. It's clearly in rubble and abandoned. It's also just one shoe. Where is it's mate? Perhaps that emphasizes the sense of loss. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI processed the shoe as a b/w image, but it might be better if I left this one in color. Or maybe the shoe itself in color and everything else b/w? Or the other way around? |
