TCampbell
Been spending a lot of time on here!
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2012
- Messages
- 3,614
- Reaction score
- 1,558
- Location
- Dearborn, MI
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
My advice to anyone starting out is to strive to work to produce a "straight shot" -- meaning no special effects. Work on getting all the fundamentals right. While you can digitally edit images and it becomes a necessary part of the workflow, try to get as much right as possible without relying on editing and effects. That means you're trying to get good exposure, good lighting, good color, good composition.
On this point, I will say that I've seen portfolios of people who have all special effects to the point that I have to wonder if they even know how to shoot a straight shot or if they're using heavy editing to cover up flaws in the image.
Once you can do that with excellent repeatability, then you can work on adjustments and then finally enhancements. Just keep in mind that you can "enhance" food by seasoning it... and while a little seasoning improves the food, a lot of seasoning will completely ruin it. The same is true of images... if a "little" of some adjustment helps (suppose we're talking about color saturation), then a "lot" of that same adjustment is not necessarily better.
I say work on "adjustments" before "enhancements" because adjustments leave a photo looking mostly natural, but "enhancements" may be leaving the realm of what's natural and moving into changes that aren't documentary (the scene didn't _really_ look like that when you took the shot.) But these are like extra notes in musical chords or extra instruments in a musical composition... you can't just start throwing in more notes and expect that the music will sound better. Only the "right" notes make it sound better so you should always have a REASON why you added those particular notes -- and the same goes for your photos.
I like to tie effects to emotions. We can use a "low key" shot (a scene which is mostly black) to create a feeling of abandonment, loneliness, despair (and depending on the scene we can evoke other emotions as well.) Conversely we can use "high key" shots (a scene which is mostly white) to create a feeling of purity, hope, happiness, joy. We can apply a misty effect to a high key shot to create a dream-like scene. We can add motion blur to suggest action and thrill. BUT... notice that it's tying effects to emotions. What we really want is to suggest suggest possible meanings or emotions to the person viewing the shot and we're using the effects to pull that off.
An effect doesn't necessarily need an emotional motivation -- but they are great motivators. The real point in this is that you should have a reason for applying a special effect and be able to defend to yourself why you did it.
If we're just throwing in an effect because, like a cooking spice -- it just happened to be in our spice cabinet (even though it clashes with the food -- like adding garlic to birthday cake because, hey... we saw some garlic powder in the spice cabinet) then we ruin the shot.
On this point, I will say that I've seen portfolios of people who have all special effects to the point that I have to wonder if they even know how to shoot a straight shot or if they're using heavy editing to cover up flaws in the image.
Once you can do that with excellent repeatability, then you can work on adjustments and then finally enhancements. Just keep in mind that you can "enhance" food by seasoning it... and while a little seasoning improves the food, a lot of seasoning will completely ruin it. The same is true of images... if a "little" of some adjustment helps (suppose we're talking about color saturation), then a "lot" of that same adjustment is not necessarily better.
I say work on "adjustments" before "enhancements" because adjustments leave a photo looking mostly natural, but "enhancements" may be leaving the realm of what's natural and moving into changes that aren't documentary (the scene didn't _really_ look like that when you took the shot.) But these are like extra notes in musical chords or extra instruments in a musical composition... you can't just start throwing in more notes and expect that the music will sound better. Only the "right" notes make it sound better so you should always have a REASON why you added those particular notes -- and the same goes for your photos.
I like to tie effects to emotions. We can use a "low key" shot (a scene which is mostly black) to create a feeling of abandonment, loneliness, despair (and depending on the scene we can evoke other emotions as well.) Conversely we can use "high key" shots (a scene which is mostly white) to create a feeling of purity, hope, happiness, joy. We can apply a misty effect to a high key shot to create a dream-like scene. We can add motion blur to suggest action and thrill. BUT... notice that it's tying effects to emotions. What we really want is to suggest suggest possible meanings or emotions to the person viewing the shot and we're using the effects to pull that off.
An effect doesn't necessarily need an emotional motivation -- but they are great motivators. The real point in this is that you should have a reason for applying a special effect and be able to defend to yourself why you did it.
If we're just throwing in an effect because, like a cooking spice -- it just happened to be in our spice cabinet (even though it clashes with the food -- like adding garlic to birthday cake because, hey... we saw some garlic powder in the spice cabinet) then we ruin the shot.
point taken and will do it next time
![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/42/42479-eb9612f7aa37a41755b9e23b5739a3bf.jpg?1734177006)
![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/32/32164-d68fa2de02f9bef524bbd68aac2f12e4.jpg?1734161046)
