#1 – August 27, 2023
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good
This aphorism has an impressive history. In 1770, Voltaire quoted an Italian proverb, roughly translated as “… the best is the enemy of the good.” In 1726, Montesquieu wrote "The best is the mortal enemy of the good.”
And in 1606, Shakespeare’s Duke of Albany warns of "striving to better, oft we mar what's well", in a King Lear. Even Churchill had a go, swapping “the good” for “progress”.
Along my journey as a photographer, I’ve heard this advice, however more simply stated, “capture the moment!” Of the thousands of shutter snaps I’ve made, this imagine more than any other brings this message home.
I was packing up my gear after an uninspiring couple of hours at the Port Hueneme pier. As is often the way of things, the universe presents itself after you snap on the lens cap. I had staked out a spot under the pier, looking to shoot through the pilings toward the setting sun. Glancing up from my camera bag, I spotted another photographer. He was locked on to his model, who was frolicking at the edge of the surf. As the sun was about ten minutes from setting, and my counterpart was a good 40 yards inland, I grabbed my Sony and took a few ‘let’s just see’ shots. What I saw on the display must have looked decent, as I quickly began adjusting my camera for the fast falling light and the model’s movement.
It all happened very fast. Looking back, I felt conflicted about borrowing this preset tableau for my own purposes, but to be honest, I didn’t leave the beach that day thinking I had captured anything special.
Back home at my computer, I made a few simple edits in Adobe Lightroom. Then I made a few more. There was a moment there, somewhere in that hastily captured image, amid the noisy grain of the low light and the messy background of the naval base architecture. There was also the fact that the model was wearing a very identifiable sailor’s motif, complete with hat and pumps.
To quell my guilt for coveting another photographer’s session, I knew a couple of things right away. First, whatever editing I did to get to a final image, I would not sell any prints claiming it was my ‘completely’ original work. That may have been an over reaction in the moment, but I’m comfortable having made it. Second, I knew I would have to do a ton of editing, including some compositing.
Looking at the before and after, the major lifts included:
- replacing the naval base buildings and jetty with more seascape on horizon
- toning down the model’s outfit to a lower profile, solid, dark blue, and
- losing the hat increase the exposure and color correct for a more readable image
Overall, I was happy with the result, however, the idea of “perfect” rattled around in my head. Because of the lowlight, I had used a high ISO setting (sensitivity of the sensor) to create a readable exposure. For those non-shutterbugs, a high ISO makes an image brighter during capture, but means you get more noise and grain. So, not perfect, then.
I shared the resulting image on social media. I was surprised to receive more positive comments than many other shots in my collection I felt were closer to perfect. In the end, I couldn’t share the image in anything approaching full size due to the noise and grain.
The moment I glimpsed on the back of my camera was there. I just had to get over the fact that is was good. Not perfect, but good.