As photographers, we work very hard to make our photos as good as possible, ranging from investing in expensive, top-shelf gear, to learning a variety of techniques, to investing huge amounts of time and effort into the creation of and post-processing of our images. But that can be taken too far, and this great video discusses why perfect photos are not always better photos.
Coming to you from James Popsys, this important video discusses how an obsession with perfection can ruin our photography. I think Popsys is touching on something really important here. I have certainly made the mistake of essentially handcuffing myself into not taking photos simply because it was not an absolutely perfect scene, and I have also made the mistake of agonizing over an image in Photoshop for far longer than I needed to because it was not absolutely flawless. Not only is this detrimental to our time and growth, it can actually prevent us from making photos that resonate with our own creativity in an obsessive pursuit for some sort of (probably nonexistent) ideal that is external to our own ideas. I personally think it is very important to find a good balance. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Popsys.
Awesome video. I agree with Popsys' sensibilities about perfection, advertising, etc.
The "rope," ruins that particular image. You can't have two focal points. If you wanted to make a comment on the rope, in that place, you should have used all of you prodigious skills to isolate it in some way. You might have blurred out the bridge with DOF to allow your viewer to focus on the rope, and its environment. You might have changed the POV to give the rope its due...What you have now is an image that can't decide what it is...
In addition, a "bench," doesn't need a view. Someday when you are older you will appreciate a simple place to rest...
"You can't have two focal points"....Wow, the rules committee is getting kind of strict.
I find that I am able to concentrate on more than one thing at a time, and I like some intellectual complexity in a photo, if it is warranted. I think the rope makes the image. Without it, it is just another sterile landscape that has very little to stimulate creative imagination. The rope gives an element that allows the viewer to wonder how a rope got to that very nice spot, and who used it and how they used it. It gives the sense that maybe this is a popular hangout spot, that I am lucky enough to be able to see in a peaceful moment. It captures the silence between the action. Miles Davis said that the most important notes are the ones that you don't play.
Life without subplot and subtext is much too linear for me and would be woefully drab. I feel the same about photographs.
Ruining by the rope makes this image stand out of ordinary (: