I worked at this one for quite awhile. I had the images all picked out, but no idea how to incorporate them into a layout. I played with a few various layouts, but hit a wall with no text. So I opened up Word and started writing. Using the caps I make now as a comparison, the story here is just tiny. Reading it now, I see so many ways that I could make it better with just a few details. But I was still an eager little beaver that day, and called it good enough. I was for some odd reason committed to the idea of making this a single page cap, and having it set at 900x900 pixels. So I made the images smaller, and transfered one of them to the background. I LOVE the placement of her eyes in the background.
But beyond that little detail, I just don't like the cap. Don't get me wrong I like the photos, but its not like I can take credit for anything there beyond selecting and cropping them. While the photos are nice, they are almost a prologue to the story. Not a single image sits properly 'within' the story. They tell their own story of what happened to 'get the sale'. When I posted this on the haven I admitted that I didn't really like it, but I couldn't put my finger on WHY I didn't like it.
Now I know better.
You are far too hard on yourself. This is a great cap. As you say, the pictures continue the story beyond the text and that is a very tough thing to get right. You got it right and should be proud of this cap. I can understand looking at an early work knowing that you can do better, but really this is a very good cap.
ReplyDeleteOh and I love the placement of the eyes as well.
Petra,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your compliments. It may just be that this cap was made while I was still learning about what I liked about caps. When I started this I had the same feeling I get when I make caps now, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted. So that feeling was left unsatisfied.
While I don't have many up here yet, I know you've seen more of my caps at the Haven, and you know how much I like to write about the transformation, and if it is a XXX cap, how much I like to write about the sex act itself. When I wrote this I didn't know that, and therefore it didn't satisfy the unrealized (but still real) desire I had.
Looking at the cap (without considering it was me that created it), I can enjoy it. But the fact is that the photos tell the story after the cap, and that wasn't intentional. The fact that it may be good is then just luck. And I would rather be proud of my work that is good by intention, not by luck.
But I still appreciate your comments. It makes me feel better about this cap!
I agree with Pea that you are being a bit hard on yourself.
ReplyDeleteThere is no hard fast rule that you HAVE to have pictures match what is happening in the story at that moment. The issue seems to be that YOU think there should be a hard fast rule about the pictures matching what is happening.
Either way, by making this caption, you've created something that made you think about your style, and what did and didn't work for you. I would think that this made you a better captioner, so regardless of the actual piece, I'm glad that you created it, and were able to carve a direction for your future work.
@Dee
ReplyDeleteMy main problem is finding the balance between 'being hard on myself' and letting my quality drop completely off the map. In everything artistic I do, I strive my very best for a perfection that I KNOW I will never achieve. It's not about the goal (perfection), it's about how close I can get in the time I allow.
I will say that as long as anyone likes a cap I made, then I'm happy about it. But I never expect myself to EVER be truly happy with what I create. Once I find myself happy... believing that I have gotten as close to perfect that I can.... then I will simply stop. I've done it in other endeavors much to my own disappointment. I played the Trombone in High School (Master of the 7 Positions!). I was good, but not great. I got a scholarship to the local community college that only required me to join the Concert Band, the Jazz Band, and a Quartet. I practiced quite a bit to remain at the level I was, but in my last semester I found my ability really increase.
I could hit the notes that vexed me for so long. I could stay in tune for longer periods of time. I could read music and get really close on the first play through, and have it down by the second run through. I was so excited by it, but at the same time I now felt that I had reached a plateau (if not a peak) of my talent. It only took a month for almost all of my interest in playing the Trombone to vanish. Once my scholarship was finished, I sold the Trombone and have never touched one since. I still remember that Joy I got from playing it and striving to be better, but I have no desire to every try it again.
It's just the oddball way my mind is hardwired. With photography I set my goal so close to perfection that I knew I could never reach it. Therefore I keep striving toward it. I haven't made many good photos (by my personal standard) even though some have won local awards. I have set the same type of goal with capping. If I let up on it, and accept what I do as good (even giving me an excuse of 'oh it was an early piece') then I will eventually reach that plateau (or peak) and the desire to continue doing it will just wash away.
What I'm trying to say is that I will never be too hard on myself. Making a good cap isn't the goal. Making someone happy with the cap isn't the goal. Making a perfect cap is the goal. If in the meantime if I can make good caps and make people happy by doing so... well I can accept and appreciate that.