tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post6038454463128496174..comments2024-03-25T21:54:29.130-07:00Comments on FocusingOnLife: One Photo, Three WaysUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-75214191928429062202014-02-26T11:07:42.924-08:002014-02-26T11:07:42.924-08:00Great post, Kelly. The way I think of it is that i...Great post, Kelly. The way I think of it is that if you shoot jpeg, your camera does the post-processing. So there really is no SOOC with jpegs. Your camera makes the decision. Then if you choose, you can make changes based on your own artistic vision. I shoot in RAW, so as Leigh says, you have to process your images. (The particular software to me is the least important decision -- there are so many now.) So whichever way you do it, there is no question of cheating. There is no one REAL picture with everything else being "Photoshopped" or enhanced. The more I delve into photography and look at people's work and techniques, the more I get that photography is really an art form. Everything you create is your artistic vision, from what you choose to point the camera at to what settings you use to how you process or not. Some people may prefer a plainer image processed by their camera, and that's fine, but that doesn't mean it's better or worse than an image that has been carefully crafted to achieve a certain mood, feel or effect. So let our photography be a judgement-free zone and let us all be freer to express our authentic selves in our images! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-2986387058613385472014-02-25T18:52:10.562-08:002014-02-25T18:52:10.562-08:00kim and leigh...thank you so much for your kind co...kim and leigh...thank you so much for your kind comments. you have been a huge source of inspiration in my journey! i'm happy to share what works for me.kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05153095149911030832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-55263360978697862402014-02-25T17:30:36.842-08:002014-02-25T17:30:36.842-08:00Oh and I should mention that I shoot in RAW so eve...Oh and I should mention that I shoot in RAW so every image has to be processed. Which can sometimes be a pain! but then I download a shot that is completely blown out and I'm able to recover it because I shot in RAW then I don't miss jpg as much anymore :)leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06796971374982189013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-74916447506277550522014-02-25T17:29:34.114-08:002014-02-25T17:29:34.114-08:00I love seeing the different ways you processed thi...I love seeing the different ways you processed this photo! So fun to see them side by side. I have always admired your processing. You have really created your signature style and it is so recognizable. I feel like I'm all over the board sometimes because I can't make up my mind when post processing.leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06796971374982189013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-77007191375016774972014-02-25T17:09:52.619-08:002014-02-25T17:09:52.619-08:00Oh Kelly, yes, yes, yes! Like you though I try my ...Oh Kelly, yes, yes, yes! Like you though I try my very best to get my images the way I want them in camera first, which means I'm not doing that much to them afterwards, but it's those little things that change how it feels. And post processing is often necessary for completion of a vision - especially with some of my camera movement/painted shots. It's just not always possible to get those perfect in camera. And, I'm one to love making photo art with textures and would love to learn even more about it. Great post, yes, always love your tips. (although at the moment I'm still editing in picasa- which is about as simple as it gets I think. One of these days I'll learn another program)Kim Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16765296400379609580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-87429233205423590022014-02-25T09:51:10.812-08:002014-02-25T09:51:10.812-08:00thank you all so much for your great feedback. i ...thank you all so much for your great feedback. i have to confess that for a long time i too felt guilty about tweaking my images. like if i had done a better job in camera they wouldn't need so much work. and i think there is a case for that. but the other thing about post-processing is this...i bet 90% or more of the images of we see out on the interwebs these days have been processed to some degree. so for me it was great to learn because for the longest time i thought it was something i was doing wrong! :) and claudia you're so right on to say that no one got too bent out of shape about a little dodging and burning. and that link is just awesome! thanks for sharing it!kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05153095149911030832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-62537059428904351932014-02-25T09:30:13.692-08:002014-02-25T09:30:13.692-08:00I so enjoy your posts on lightroom Kelly, both her...I so enjoy your posts on lightroom Kelly, both here and on your personal blog. I process all my photos in lightroom and I go in spurts. I work hard to get the photo the way I want it right out of the camera and am getting better at this. But like you almost always tweak it some. Then there are times I take a not so good photo and tweak the heck out of it! It is all so fun. Great post! Cathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01273101486326139103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-11954138458446241402014-02-25T08:53:19.474-08:002014-02-25T08:53:19.474-08:00I love post processing, to have all this amazing t...I love post processing, to have all this amazing technology at our fingertips still never ceases to amaze me. Thanks to Kim I have learnt to use Lightroom, playing with presets and basic edits can almost make you feel like a magician and sometimes you never quite know what effect you will achieve. Thanks for sharing your edits also thanks to this wonderful community who continue to share their thoughts and tips...Viv@Thoughts from the Desktophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06730298140439036198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-25021257431036020432014-02-25T08:30:17.287-08:002014-02-25T08:30:17.287-08:00Great post! I get kinda cranky when people think e...Great post! I get kinda cranky when people think editing with tools is cheating. Back in the film days (not saying if i lived that time or not LOL) we dodged and burned in the dark room. No one ever said anything about any of the lovely vintage images produced by George Hurrell. Who knew that Joan Crawford had freckles? http://fadedandblurred.com/spotlight/george-hurrell/ We live in a time where are tools are a bit different and can acheive wonderful things. Art is art. (I love Lightroom and PS) every time I think I am getting good ... some other tool comes available for a newer look! Good post!Claudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06061773932119197157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-57386602171868238072014-02-25T07:34:03.085-08:002014-02-25T07:34:03.085-08:00Lightroom is where all my pictures go. I love bein...Lightroom is where all my pictures go. I love being able to organize my pictures, cull out the bad ones, edit some with LR and RadLab or PSE if I want. I also use it with Photomatix when I take bracketed shots for HDR. I love experimenting with all the sliders and have found many great presets to add to some pictures. This is a great discussion to have! I also read Matt Koslowski's Lightroom Killer Tips! I think he's having a class in Houston soon (or maybe just did) He also has some really good free presets on his site. I love your processing style! Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04344086795897680409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-71969079093301503982014-02-25T07:11:06.112-08:002014-02-25T07:11:06.112-08:00In answer to your first question, YES to editing! ...In answer to your first question, YES to editing! I think sometimes we feel as if we're "cheating" if we do anything to our photos but digital photos do need a bit of tweaking and we have the ability, so why not? Your post illustrates this perfectly! I have mainly used Elements and then for the past several years CS4. I so want to learn Lightroom! I took Kim's class but fell behind and then never picked it up again. Since signing up for the Creative Cloud, I now have CS6 and LR5 and have been mainly learning the differences in CS6 but now I want to dive into LR. I will probably sign up for Kim's class again and see if I can master it this time. You are such an inspiration that I really want to be able to work in LR as well as CS6. But the bottom line is I do love sitting at the computer and playing and watching my photo go from good to great with just a few clicks of the mouse. For an already good shot, it doesn't take much to make that happen and for a shot that needs a little more help, it's great to have the capability to rescue it. I think my style is clear and colorful, if that makes sense. Thanks so much for this post, Kelly, and yes to seeing more of these kinds of posts in the future!terriporterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14333055591899961253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-76847794492073659582014-02-25T05:51:58.698-08:002014-02-25T05:51:58.698-08:00Great post, Kelly! I've been considering LR, ...Great post, Kelly! I've been considering LR, just don't know if I want to really edit that much. This helpful post does push me one step further in that direction! I love edited images, but I tend to just enhance mine a little, sharpen, and sometimes vignette the edges, and let them be. I'm just not sure my old brain is up to the challenge of post editing and I'm not sure I would want to spend more time on the computer. This does give me more food for thought!Cathy H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10779935742253650385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7068408751309289035.post-9690095028518075722014-02-25T04:59:08.548-08:002014-02-25T04:59:08.548-08:00Well, Kelly ... as you know ... I just loved this ...Well, Kelly ... as you know ... I just loved this post! Yes, I do like to process my photos. Not dramatically, just a tweak here and there. But I want the tweaks to benefit the photo as well as my creative appetite. Your SOOC is lovely and each edit truly does have its own personality. And I agree: to edit or not to edit is a personal decision. Sometimes I use textures on my photos, most times I don't. Just some bumping up here and there and I 'call it done' {in the words of our favorite LR guru, Kim Klassen}. Thanks, Kelly, for a great post to start our Tuesday.Dottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00811399388989716265noreply@blogger.com