So this is the first year that I've been heavily into reading material on the web written by photographers in the "industry." Prior to this year I have used a couple of books and just played it by ear. I didn't really understand the technical side of photography and at the beginning of my photography journey I was a classroom teacher, and later I spent two years engrossed in the journey to complete my Master's Degree. So this year, I educated myself (somewhat). I'm still learning. I still have A LOT to learn! So I'm going to post a series of before and after of recent editing that I've done.
I edit using Lightroom. I currently don't have a subscription for Photoshop. Above is a before and after of a photo that I took this summer in Western Nebraska. Below is the final edit.
This is along the Platte River Valley heading towards Scott's Bluff. So I've noticed more and more "Watch Me Edit," type of workshops or webinars. I didn't realize there was such an industry of photographers making money off of one another. So, I have no secrets about photography (how could I- for the most part I do photography like a person who has learned to "play by ear". I know compared to some photographers I am not great at all. But, I also can't imagine paying a significant amount of money for a workshop, when I could put that ridiculous amount of money towards a new lens (because, seriously- it is about the glass). Because. Oh man, I so want a badass 35mm lens now. I do, I do...
This isn't really a "watch me edit" post, it is a before and after. You can see the difference in the images. I shoot in RAW format so the images are not always great coming out of the camera and I find a lot of inspiration in processing. I enjoy editing. But I don't like being overloaded in editing. Fortunately, for the first time in a few months I am not overloaded and only have the job that I completed today.
The beauty is being able to recover details. One new tool I've been using on some portrait work is the radial filter where I can go in and recover details in faces that is different from the rest of the photo. I also use curves to crush my blacks into this nice matte look (which I will probably hate in a year). That's about the closest to filters that I use.
So if you can see the curves, see how I adjusted it; that's how I achieve that matte look.
I find myself reaching for my fixed 50mm lens more and more as I learn about photography. To go from desiring the most zoom as possible or at least some zoom to realizing that some of the best images aren't about the camera doing the work, they're about me positioning myself to frame the best possible shot.
It's interesting that the more I read and the more youtube tutorials that I watch the more this industry entertains me. But understanding photography is a journey. It is a way to see the world. Back to the "critical lens" theory that so many academics point to when they're writing about a way to view the world. Everytime I read about someone's "lens" I think they really don't have a grasp on what they're writing about when they discuss a "lens" to view the world because if you can't understand it within the realm of photography how can you explain using a "lens" or perspective to view the world?
Last night I deleted photos from my harddrive in the beginning of my yearly purge. I started counting the amount of sessions and portrait sessions and weddings far outnumbered any shooting that I did for myself. I am amazed at how busy I've been this year and the fact that it is nearly the end of the year and I'm beginning to acquire quite a hectic looking schedule for next year. This has been an interesting journey. It's like going down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. This hobby has morphed into more than a part time job, yet not quite a full time job.
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