As I become a bit more skilled with Adobe Photoshop I find myself using it as a tool to dissect and analyze my photos…at times selecting a photo which in my judgement “missed-the-mark” and making it a pleasing creation.
I crop and cut, experimenting with over-all composition. I play with exposures, curves, filters and overlays to determine what works and imparts the impact I’m looking for. I ask myself questions about my perceptions and the boundaries of my preferences and taste.
To impart my vision I may apply artistic styles which make my shots more or less then photos, depending upon your point of view and how much of a photographic purist you are.
While all this artistic “fishing” is being done post-process, it’s clear what I’m learning is beginning to feed directly back into the front end of when I take photos.
I’m also closer to understanding how some photographers can spend hours post-process working on a single photo to get it just right. :-)
OMG! You crop your photos?! You mean you don’t get them right the first time? ;-)
Yep, there is certainly a feedback loop. Mine stems from not wanting to spend so much time doing post processing; however, sometimes the PP is fun. There are those times when you cannot get exactly what you want until after PP. It has always been that way. Why do you think that Ansel Adams came up with his zone system and his cleaver way of processing his film.
Now, I find myself going back to look at the various Workbenches that Mark Johnson has produced … seeing if there is anything that I need!
@Paul: Okay, it’s out in the open now…I’ve never taken a perfect photo! Oh man, what a relief to be out from under that burden. ;-)