Saturday, September 10, 2011

So what?

Into the Mystic.  Willoughby Hills, OH.
When I put a camera up to my eye, my question is So what?  I try to answer that question both as I compose a photograph and as I edit it later.  Often, I've already composed the picture I want to take in my mind before I pick up the camera, but playing with cropping, colors, and shadows after the fact can bring about different images and evoke different emotions than what was first experienced at the scene.  It's a lot of fun.  I was about to throw away the image that became  Sophia Calls the Cats (found here) - until I looked more closely, cropped about half the photo, and began to see something interesting emerge.  

I see photo editing like I see make-up.  You may know it's there, but it works best when it merely enhances beauty, not compete with it.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I agree, Pat. For a long time I resisted editing my photos too much. I was intimidated and stubborn but gradually over time I've started to embrace it as an alternate path of creativity. I still prefer subtle but love having the option to take images to a new level. This is a lovely image, it started that way, which is why it's that way after editing too. Editing can't make a good picture. Editing only makes a good picture better.

Pat Washington said...

You too? When I was very new to digital photography, I used to think that digitally manipulating a photo was "cheating." Now I have some fun with it.

Leigh said...

I love this photo! Whatever you did, it worked.

Pat Washington said...

Thanks so much for stopping by, Leigh! For this photo, all I did was add a blue-ish tint and darken it just a little.