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:We each bring our personal history to our photography, but that's not always a good strategy. In an abandoned house in North Dakota, I found this wallpaper — the very same wallpaper I had in my bedroom when I was a child. Memories flooded back. What I don't like in the picture:But those are my memories, not yours. Not a good foundation for a meaningful photograph. What I learned:Also in North Dakota, I found this wallpaper (at left) in a different abandoned house. The addition of the dark water stain adds a component that doesn't need to be a personal memory to contribute to the graphic design. Courses for horses, as they say. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI could see a way to use the above image as a background graphic somewhere. I'll keep it, just in case. |
