This is an example.. it is far from some artistic masterpiece, but its an example of taking a blah turd of an image and trying to polish the best I can with the tools I have to make it more interesting.
What do you think? Is it worthy of keeping? Should I have thought more about exposure in the original image and less about post?
This shot was from back in 2004 when I was just starting and now even an image that was shot years ago and I am not so proud of might have been turned into something much more interesting with little more than 3 filters and some photoshop tweaking.
I am far from a pro with photoshop or a camera, but the options and almost limitless with RAW images.
Here is the original as a comparison:
I have always found it interesting to see the reality of the out of camera image and then the second reality of a post processed image.
Do you believe anything you see anymore?
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I agree that striving for perfection in camera is always something to work for. But sometimes (depending on your style and type of photography) the image in the camera is just the start of the creative process and Photoshop etc is just as important to the final image as what was captured in camera. I really like your final image by the way, even though the original image may not have been perfect.
I will agree.. Sometimes fining perfection is more of a journey than just the first click of the shutter…
+Brent Burzycki PS is nothing more than the modern darkroom where we can dodge and burn, add/subtract color, tones, etc. 🙂
I will agree…… I stopped trying to impress Photoshop haters many years ago… Its a tool that I will abuse as needed…
+Brent Burzycki The PS haters, IMHO, do not understand that simple concept – it is a tool and no GREAT film photographer of the past would ever think of doing nothing above the minimum when they were processing film in the darkroom.
For example, legendary landscape icon, Ansel Adams, used these darkroom techniques to enhance and complete his images. I recall watching a video on how he would dodge, burn, etc. in various areas of his images to "enhance them" and bring out what he wanted to bring out – the goal was no different than we do now with PS (just the method and array of tools has changed). That is what they did – PS haters thinking an image needs to be perfect out of the camera have a lack of understanding of the "darkroom days" processing and how PS has taken the place of chemicals, inks, etc. in the digital world – IMHO, of course…
+Brent Burzycki Nice photo, by the by… 🙂
+Chuck Jackson thanks 🙂 – its not what I usually do.. I tend to like to try to do different things… and they are received in many different ways… I post a landscape and get a ton of interest.. I post an image like this and it get 8 pluses..
It is hard to know what people like.. also I am not even sure if pluses equate to what people actually like … vs. what they might actually see here..
Then trying to use 500px as a scale is interesting.. this image will pale in comparison to some other posts.. people there tend to like sexy and most prefer nudity when it comes to people.. but in most cases nudity does not make it into the top 10 pages…
Just an interesting people experiment…
+Brent Burzycki I have ascertained that, generally speaking, there are SOOOO many more non-people shooters out there (on G+ in this case) so that inherently, there are so many more people who will plus one or comment on those images (we tend to like what we also do – makes sense to me…). That is just the way it is – I intentionally try to support the work of other people shooters – and go out of my way to do so. But this does not mean I do not appreciate and support landscape, nature, etc. photographers – because I do that too! 🙂
But it is interesting, though….
+Brent Burzycki But I could be wrong – there could be other reasons for the scenario you addressed… <shrug>
+Chuck Jackson I really do not think anyone is really wrong on this topic….. just opinions and points of view..
Top shot!
My wife and I have this arguement frequently (both of us would barely qualify as amatuer let alone professionals.) To me post processing is part of creating an image– with its own requisite knowledge. She and I both strive for the right image from the get-go but while I am OK with post processing an image, she's more of an SOOC kind of artist.
It gets spirited at times 🙂