The Art of Compromise

In my mind there are a lot of defects and compromises in this photo. The boy's face isn't perfectly sharp, there seem to be leaves growing out of his hat, and I wish the bird feeder wasn't in the frame. I still like it though.

One of the more seductive mindsets to be wary of is the conceit that you are somehow more serious, committed, or uncompromising than other photographers. I understand the value of describing yourself this way for the sake of marketing. After all, galleries, museums, and collectors are much more inclined to support photographers who present themselves as “serious, dedicated, fastidious fine artists” rather than clueless slackers with no sense of craft.

The danger is to take this sort of marketing hype too seriously. Once you start looking at yourself as an “uncompromising photographer” then it’s all too easy to believe that, unlike “compromising photographers,” you need to buy the most expensive cameras and lenses you can afford. You need the fastest computer with the largest and fastest hard drive, the most RAM, the largest monitor capable of displaying the widest color gamut… the list goes on.

It’s not that there’s anything inherently wrong with buying or owning top-of-the-line equipment. Better tools often make it easier to produce better work. The delusion is believing that owning such equipment confers any particular status or expertise. It doesn’t. It only makes you someone who owns excellent tools. Depending on how wealthy you are, it could also make you someone who has compromised his mortgage, retirement savings, children’s education, or marriage for the sake of buying equipment he could ill-afford.

Here’s another possible compromise: If what you bought is inadequate for your needs, then you've simply compromised utility for status. For some that's not a bad bargain: It’s a lot quicker and easier to get respect by buying a prestigious camera than spending years perfecting your craft.

If you truly want to be an uncompromising photographer then your focus is should be on your work, not your equipment. When the focus in on your work you set a high standard for your photographs and you strive to meet or exceed it on a consistent basis. You see your mistakes as an opportunity to learn rather than a sign of weakness or inferiority. You practice the simplest tasks over and over again until they become second nature. You let your muse be your guide rather than current fashion. You use whatever equipment you’ve got to its full potential rather than as an excuse for poor photographs, or worse, not producing photographs at all.

Most important, you accept that “perfection” is not so much an achievable goal as a process. As long as we are less than perfect there is always room for improvement--and yes, compromise.

 

Comments

[Stephen S. Mack]

"Clueless slacker", eh? That's me! (Just kidding.)

[scotth]

In general I do not see as much opinioning about camera gear as I did in the past, but I think that is because of where I spend my time on the net more than anything else. My attitude towards the topic has changed as well though.

Wandering farther afield than I normally do over the last couple of weeks, I have encountered some discussions centered around the 'quality' of gear that had been used in certain articles. My initial reaction was to jump into the discussion, going against the grain, and stating the gear in question was more than adequate.

On further reflection, I decided participating in that discussion was a waste of time. For some people, photography is the gear. That is fine for them, but it is not for me, and arguing abut it is not going to get anyone any farther ahead.

[Gordon Lewis]

>>"Clueless slacker", eh? That's me! (Just kidding.)<<

Pleased to meet you, Stephen.

[Fred Haynes]

I think you've said as much before. But it does bare repeating.
I missed your last post- just saw it, and your new look. I kind of liked the more narrow measure, less back and forth head and eye motion!
But I don't really care that much- it's the content that I come for.
Good luck with whatever changes you make.

[David Zivic]

There's a difference between perfect and excellent. I have recently applied this concept to my personal life and my photography as well.
Not all perfect photos have the "WOW" factor happening, they are just perfectly composed, exposed, focused, balanced images. It's the photo that makes us go "Wow" that is excellent regrdless of its technical characteristics. As for equipment I must say that I enjoy walking around taking pictures of animals, like I'm hunting with a camera, no tripod, no blind, no camo outfit. I reently purchased an expensive camera with a full frame sensor and excellent high ISO performance. Doubled with a 300mm lens with vibration reduction I can now do that even early morning and evenings when light is low. As for the new format of the site I'm having trouble getting used to the white background....even though it's excellent in it.

[Paul Van]

Another thought provoking post.

I turned 50 this year, and have been thinking very hard about a lot of things, and among those has been the concept of simplifying and reducing clutter. As a part of that, I have been thinking about quality vs quantity as well.

Currently, I'm leaning towards an approach consisting of having my skills and capabilities existing at a level slightly less than the abilities of my equipment. Which is to say, my gear should be better than I am so that I have room for growth, without obsessing over the newest/greatest. As part of that commitment, I am trying to learn how to get the most out of what I have, instead of simply replacing items because it is easier that way.

I suppose if I tried to sum it up, I'm trying to achieve being able to use the right tool for the job, without losing sight of the jobs I am capable of doing. (and without over-buying!)

[Sven W]

The new look + bigger images are a definite improvement. The previous layout had a somewhat "dated" look about it (circa 1950), IMO. But I still think the masthead and the 3 links (Home, About Me, Subscribe) look dated (circa 1980). And while I'm taking potshots, the masthead reference to "and the gear it takes to do it" is at odds to how I perceive your blog: your writing is more about insight and mindset, even when you do write about equipment.

Anyway, I don't want to come across as picky, just my 2 cents worth! ;-)

I appreciate the work you put into your blog and hope there's some payola in it for you.

[Walt]

I like your photo and also wish the bird feeder were not in the frame. It would also be nice if the tree and boy were better separated from the background. And even better...... if the boy were looking upward as if contemplating his journey. Especially if the boy's head neck angle matched the angles of the two branches growing towards the right of the frame. All this from a compromising photographer who uses moderately inexpensive hardware.