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:Small shops at the Don Men Shichang market on the Chinese island of Hainan. What I don't like in the picture:The image above (I actually have a bunch of shops like this one) were shot with my ultra-wide lens on a camera that did not have image stabilization. The lights were dim, but I thought I would be okay shooing 1/focal length at ISO 800. I was wrong. Most of the shots from this day are blurred. Damn. What I learned:Sometime later, I was complaining about my failures of that day to another photographer who suggested a solution that I found works great. I describe this method in this Here's a Thought audio. If I'd only known about this technique! Instead, what I have is a pile of lost images that could have been a nice project. The image at left is the only one of the day's work that is sort of usable. Barely. 2nd Chances: What I might try nextMy chances of going back to this location are slim and none. Facing such a loss for such an idiotic reason is a frustration I won't forget. |
