I try to take images as best I can the first time around. I get the settings right (most times anyway!) for exposure, color, artistic effect, etc. But I also know what a wonderful invention photo editing software is, and with Photoshop and Lightroom, I can make a good picture even better. And maybe even put it into something really cool in the end. Check out the pics below and I'll tell you what I mean.
This is from a recent photoshoot I did for my daughters' band, Speed Limit 180. When I took this photo, I had a general idea in mind of what I wanted as the end result. The artistic vision I had was the five of them coming at me walking. I had Mason (in front) start walking on the count of 1, Taylor and Marley walking on 2, and finally my girls walking on 3, with me on the ground taking the shot. This is the original file I used:
So what's wrong with this photo? For what I had in mind, lots of things, really. Kinda dark, a little too far away, the fact that you could tell this was shot in a residential area (the kids had just had a rehearsal at my house). Just kind of blah, right?? But this was the best photo of the series I shot, and I knew it had potential to turn into something cool. With the magic of Lightroom and Photoshop, I made exposure changes to lighten it up, used brushes to lighten up shadows in certain spots, made the picture black and white, cropped in a little closer, and added a vignette effect on the sky to make it all look more serious and just a little ominous. This was the final edit:
Finally, I added it to some graphics that I created for the band's next concert playbill. Here is the final result:
Sooooo much better than the original, right? A lot more WOW factor going on in the photo, and put together with some cool graphics, it all came together nicely for this month's playbill. There are all kinds of cool presets and actions that make editing faster, but just remember less is usually more.
Have fun with your photos and make them into something special for you. Happy editing!! -- S
