Because you people were so kind yesterday, making many complimentary comments about my photography, I feel that I must once again point to the truth: I am not a great photographer. I am a sorta medium maybe sometimes OK photographer who knows how to use Photoshop Elements.I know, deep down in my heart of hearts, that my picture editing is much better than my picture taking. I shoot lots and lots and lots of pictures, and throw most of them away. I edit a fourth or a third of the ones I put up on this blog. And, about every hundredth time I click the shutter, I take what I think is a really good picture before editing.
I also know I have an eye that can at least see the shot I want, even if I don't very often capture it with my camera. So then I come to the computer and try to make the image match up to what was in my head in the first place.
When you see the two photos below, both straight out of the camera with no editing, I think you will have to agree that my photography often needs major help. These were both pretty mediocre pictures to begin with. But with a little cyber editing, they capture what is recorded above -- which is what I saw when I ventured into our winter wonderland yesterday morning. Or what I thought I saw. Or what I wished I had seen. Isn't that what art is all about?
If it makes you feel any better, it really was blowing snow in front of the bicycle when I first walked out. I tried to catch the snow drifting sideways past the bike, but if I held the shutter open long enough to record the drift, the photo was overexposed. Before I'd figured out how to deal with that, it stopped snowing. So, when I got inside, I kicked up another little snow flurry, to make it reflect what I saw in the first place.
Thank you for all your kind comments. In all fairness, yesterday's blog photos were not edited, except to crop and lighten. I also intensified the sunset colors in the third one, which the vast expanses of white light washed out when the scene got translated to pixels. Even film photographers crop, and edit, and apply color filters, so I don't really consider that cheating.
2 comments:
So there is hope for my pictures ( that is if I ever figure out how to use photoshop!). I was very thoughtful of you to lend me your photoshop book, but I think I would like to set up a time (if you don't mind helping me) when you can show me some of the basics of the program. I guess it's easier for me to learn and remember how to do something if someone shows me.
Anyway, I think your a good photographer; photoshop or no photoshop. :)
may i compliment you on your editing skills? it is neat to see the before/after pictures.
most of my pictures end up pretty mediocre too. i suppose if i had a photoshop program, that would make a difference if i wanted to spend the time on it.
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