Knowing When to Let Go and Move On
You can’t fit a round peg in a square hole.
Thank you to those who shared their feedback on last week’s story. Reader and camera club comments echoed what my gut knew, the image can be used to illustrate a story, but it has too many problems to enter a photo competition.
Peekaboo ©kathykarn
Several of you found the Canon sticker distracting. Out of curiosity I removed the Canon Sicker in Lightroom, however, generative AI didn't “fix” the problems. Plus, it’s against the rules to remove parts of an image in a nature competition. Note to self – pay attention to everything in the frame.
Olominia ©kathykarn
Although she added to the story, the woman in the far corner was so camouflaged she was practically invisible. If I’d included more on the right, the story might have had more impact, however, there wasn’t any room in the frame because I hadn’t included it in the original shot. Sigh. Even with increasing the exposure and contrast, the image still felt flat. It was a misty morning; the sun was on the far side of the vehicle, bottom line – poor lighting.
Every wildlife photographer has stories about the missed shot. Compelling images that convey a great story take time, skill and experience. It’s a thrill when it comes together, right place, right time, right settings. But when it doesn’t then, like any relationship, exercise, project, that isn’t working there is a time for letting go. Don’t let emotional attachment get in the way, learn the lesson/s and move on!
Am I discouraged? Not at all, I learn through my mistakes and feedback. However, I admit encouragement helps. As if I needed a sign, I received an email recently announcing the 133rd Toronto Salon International Exhibition with my award-winning image The Wisdom of Elephants on their poster! The next step is a deep dive into my photos to find the images I’d like to submit this year. I’ll keep your comments front of mind, listen to my gut, seek what has emotional impact and work on post processing edits that make the image stronger. As they say on safari “Twende!” Let’s go!
