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
Rock Wall Week
I have lots of captures of rock walls. Why? Don't know, but I do know I want to put together a small project with them. How does one make a rock wall visually interesting? An even greater challenge is how to make a group of them interesting without becoming repetitious. This week will feature five attempts to do just that.
What I saw that I liked:
A fun and somewhat unusual columnar shape .
What I don't like in the picture:
Without a little sunlight, the above is pretty flat and dull. The nice column blends into the background and become less three-dimmensional.
What I learned:
I've universally found that the best days in the landscape are when the sky is spotted with big puffy clouds that change the light from dull to vibrant with each passing moment. This day required that I only wait a few minutes before the dull light in the above example changed in an instant to the exciting light see in the example at left. Patience is a virtue. |
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