Another thought from Mr. Penick that has stayed with me for decades. It’s the title; perfection is achieved by subtraction, not addition. Removing the superfluous is the route to perfection. I guess in the most elemental form, a stone sculptor personifies this. Stone is removed until the sculpture is revealed. Haiku uses only seventeen syllables. There is no room for clutter there, too. Only the essential words to convey the poet’s message.
So the same should be for a photograph. Simple is always better. Visual clutter gets in the way of the message you are sending. Strive for simplicity in composition, restraint in editing and brevity in writing.
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