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 found this single blossom in Shisendo (The Hall of Poets) in Kyoto. What I don't like in the picture:That blob of light green behind the blossom has got to go. I made a second exposure that led to the image at left. What I learned:A photograph is "about" a subject, but it's the background that can ruin a photograph. The repositioned capture made it easy to eliminate that troublesome blob of green, plus I desaturated green across the image to give even more emphasis to the white blossom. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextI don't really consider myself a "botanicals specialist" although I wouldn't hesistate to use this image in a small project about Shisendo. It fits the mood of The Hall of Poets so well. |
