Over the weekend I rested a bit, talked with friends, and totally put my camera down for a few days. But that didn’t mean that photography wasn’t on my mind or being talking about.
And I had a few interesting conversations that culminated in one yesterday that I thought I should blog about.
Exported as shot without any adjustments. Shooting high ISO and using available lighting in the courtyard to achieve this image.
See, recently a few folks were talking photography, and they covered my images as well as the images of a few other folks they follow. One photographer in the discussion mentioned that the interesting images I’ve been posting lately are interesting because of how much I edit them……. Uh, what?
If you’ve been following along the past few weeks you know that I have not been editing a lot. Recent event photography that I’ve been doing has been posted exactly as it was shot. Not even Lightroom adjustments. Here and there, a crop or two. But nothing else. Why? Am I done with editing? Nope, busy, busy, busy. Better yet, I’ve been enjoying putting out what comes right out of the camera.
Discussing the recent photography with a friend yesterday he brought up another photographer’s comment about me most likely editing, so while we talked I showed him through my Lightroom library. Each image I showed him the file extension. Raw, raw, raw, raw. I did show him what edits could achieve. But he was pretty surprised to find out that I’m really putting up what’s coming out of the camera. It’s interesting that folks think the recent stuff is edited. That’s a compliment right there. Means I’m getting closer to getting it right in the camera!
So, why have I been posting a lot of unprocessed images? Practice. Since January I’ve been reading about light. Portable light, speedlites, outdoor light, and more. After counting this morning I found that I’ve been through 9 different books this Spring (told you I’m a book addict). Why all the reading? Ummm, New Year’s resolution, remember?
Not edited at all. What the camera saw, and you know I really liked it.
Here's the edited version, which I do like more now that I've done it. Contrast changes and some smoothing. That's it.
Where is this all taking me? I don’t know. Landscapes are still my first passion, ghost towns too. But I think this whole learning process photographing people is going to help me get better with my favorite genres. I’m re-examining how I look at light, how I shoot, and what I shoot. And I think this whole process will take me somewhere, but we’ll all have to wait and see where that is.
So……when I say on the blog this or that isn’t edited, it’s true. How’d the image get so saturated, look edited, etc? I’m learning more about my camera and how I see things every day. Believe me, I’ll let you know when something is edited! 🙂
Comments 3
In my eyes….editing or not, its what the final presentation is. What you decide is finished art is an expression of yourself and what emotions you are trying to portray. If it takes a few edits or not is not what is notable. Some photographers have great vision…some never will. Showing us which is your first shot unedited and which is your edited one is interesting but what you decide to make your subject matter and how you express your art is more what others may be more interested in. You recognize great proportions and composition as well as lighting on how it affects one’s emotions. Being there for that “perfect” shot may be more mystical in some artist’s minds but if Ansel Adams had the technology of today, I can tell you that he would have had a more regular sleep cycle.
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Ansel Adams was always about the print, not how it was arrived at. 🙂 I’m with you Keith. And I don’t know about the perfect shot, I only know images I like when I see them. 9 times out of 10, they’re somebody else’s. 🙂
Great picture!!!