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.
|
Original digital capture
What I saw that I liked:I see a sort of conversation between the big trees on the left edge and the smaller trees on the rocks. What I don't like in the picture:The version above is slightly out of balance. Plus, there is a gap on the left edge that needs branches. What I learned:A slight reposition of the camera brought everything into balance. This is the kind of issue that I never used to have when I was using a tripod for every exposure. Handheld, however, it's easy to miss such subtleties. I need to be especially careful when not using the tripod to get an exact composition. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextUnfortunately, the branches on the left tree are slightly out of focus, another consequence of handheld photography. If I had used a tripod, I'm sure I would have stopped down to secure sufficient depth of field. Shooting handheld, I chose a wide open aperture which didn't quite cover the necessary depth of field. |
