Why Learning And Practicing Photoshop Is Important To Me

It’s interesting how much photography has changed since the first camera was invented in the early 1800s.  Originally the camera was big and took only black & white, very grainy looking, photos.  Then in the late-mid 1800s color was introduced. During that time a photographer not only had to know how to work the equipment, but also how to develop it properly. 

As time went on, cameras became smaller, less pricy, and more readily available. No longer did the photographer have to have his own dark room, instead he just dropped his film off at the local drugstore to be sent off for processing.  Seven days later, your pictures arrived at the store.  Hopefully! -- That is if they didn’t get lost or damaged! And, all the photographer needed to be good at was the use of the camera and composition. 

Enter today, photography is not just about knowing your camera and how to take a good photo. There’s so much more involved!  Social Media has changed the way we market, and having editing skills is a must! Whether it be Photoshop, Lightroom, or something else, clients don’t want nice photos, they want incredible, take your breathe away, photos; and that usually means at least a little tweaking.

We now have the ability to make the lighting perfect, make the client’s skin perfect, take unsightly objects out of the photo, and more.

So, the reason for this long tirade?  I snapped a photo of my niece at a wedding a couple months ago, which was nothing special.  I was actually just going to get a piece of cake and there she was with hers with the cutest look on her face.  However, the photo was too yellow, I only had my on-camera flash at the time which was too harsh, and the background was nothing short of boring! Actually, it was pretty ugly. But, she was in focus and I caught the expression I had seen and loved. So I started playing around in Photoshop with the picture and I ended up very happy with the result. So much so, that the next morning I showed my husband and said, “Look at this picture.” He said, “Wow! That’s really cute of her!” Then I showed him the original and even he was impressed with what I could do! Lol!

This is why I join Fix-It-Friday so often.  I didn’t take a class in Photoshop, but really, there is so much online you can learn. So, when you wonder why I’m showing, yet again, how I edit a photo, remember, it’s because I keep reading tutorials, and trying new things, and practicing, and practicing that I can get this result. (And, hopefully get even better with time!) What do you think?

Straight Out Of The Camera:

 

After My Edits:

Fix It Friday #81

Today’s Fix It Friday Photo was captured by Michelle Johnson.  It’s a gorgeous photo SOOC but a little cool and there are a few tweaks that I do to just about every photo to make them “pop”. 

So, tell me your opinion of my editing.  Too warm? Too Sharp? I’m up for constructive critism. 

Here’s how I edited this photo:

I ran the Pioneer Woman’s Boost action and thought about raising the opacity of the saturation even more, but then remembered the saying, “just because you CAN do something, doesn’t mean you SHOULD,” And decided better of it.

I then ran her Warmer action. Next ,I added a layer and added a Lens Flare at 125%.  I finally cropped a little off, burned the edges, flattened and sharpened it just a bit. 

All that took me less than 5 minutes because it’s an edit I do often. 

Now, head over to I ♥ Faces and see how diverse the editing of one photo can be!

Original SOOC photo:

My Edit:

Reflecting On My Old Furry Friend – Pets Challenge!

 


This week’s I ♥ Hearts challenge is ‘Pets’, and I have no shortage of pet pics! My dogs are usually declared my models because, unlike my human family, they don’t complain about it! I usually wind up publishing a photo of my little Jack Russell, just because he’s so cute and animated, but this time I went with one of my Lab.

I love this pic, not just because of the reflection, but because that’s his normal expression - it’s just real.
This is Spanky and Spanky has been an incredible dog! I say ‘has been’ because Spanky will be 11 at the end of this month and so probably won’t be with us for many more years.

We originally purchased a female Labrador puppy from a relative.  My husband didn’t want a dog, but I really wanted my son, who was an only child, to have something to love and be responsible for. So hubby got a new truck and agreed to let me get a dog.  The female, Sassy, died of a congenital defect after we’d only had her a couple months.  We were heartbroke. Ironically, my husband, most of all! So,he insisted we go find another Lab two nights later.  We ended up with Spanky.  Spanky was the friskier pup of the two we looked at and that’s why my husband wanted him.  But a frisky Lab is A LOT of work!

Some of the antics of his puppyhood included dragging my son by his hoodie through the snow, tearing up every dish towel and pillowslip in the house, ripping my wrap-around skirt off of me, and he even dug through my vinyl floor when I left him in the bathroom all day!

It may sound like he was horrible, but he was just a Lab puppy. If you’ve ever had one, or seen Marley and Me, you know how rambunctious they can be, but you also know how they eventually calm down and are the best dogs you can have.

Spanky would never hurt anyone, he even cowers to my much smaller Jack Russell! His entire body seems to smile when you take him for a walk, and he ‘talks’ when you rub behind his ears. He sleeps with my son every night, even though he can barely make it up the steps any more; and the only real drawback to having him (since he calmed down) has been the dog hair.  If I could find a way to keep Labs from shedding, I’d have a more of them!

Thank you Spanky for being such a great friend! We hope to keep you happy and pain free for as long as you can remain with us!

It’s Just Me! Self-portrait Photo Challenge

This week’s I ♥ Faces photo challenge theme is ‘self-portrait!’ I really didn’t have any self-portraits on hand. I usually only ask someone to take my pic if I’m with a friend or family member.  But, this was actually a lot fun!

I’ve been considering eventually adding studio photography to my repertoire so I used this opportunity to see how I could do with lighting.

You should have seen it, a lamp laying on it’s side, another one with the shade off, my reflector leaning against a basket and my camera on my tripod.  It was a funny sight, but it actually worked out fairly well.  The hardest part was getting the focus correct since I couldn’t focus on my eyes and be behind the camera. What I did was to lay my camera bag in the place where I thought my eyes would be and lock the focus in on it. Then I set the exposure, set the self-timer for 4 continuous shots, hit the shutter and ran into place.

This was one of my favorites, but black and white is so much more forgiving than color so I decided I’d like it better than way.  I used Kelsey Anderson’s Signature B&W Action and I’ll be honest, I did smooth out a few of my wrinkles! (It’s my portrait, I have that right! Right?)  And, ran the Pioneer Woman’s Bright Eyes action.

It’s me! –But please overlook the fact that I need my roots highlighted, I have an appointment for Friday to get them done!