Recognizing the Artist Within - Part II
I remember the first time I realized that the photos I admired did not necessarily come out of the camera looking great. I was at a photo workshop in Seattle hosted by Glazer's Camera for an engaging presentation by Rick Sammon. He gave many tips, but what was most striking was that the photos he took, although well composed, needed work. It was his post-production efforts that made the photo.
I learned that editing in the "digital darkroom" is essential in order to create the artistic image that I saw in my mind's eye when taking the photo. In this week's post I would like to share a few editing steps that can allow your artist to emerge.
Before you shoot, decide RAW or JPEG:
This is probably one of the most discussed aspects of photography that you will see on the web. Just search for it and see what comes up. When you take a JPEG photo you are letting the camera process the image for you. Many prefer JPEG, in fact Michelle takes most of her images in this format. There are certainly benefits, JPEGs are smaller taking up less room on the camera's memory card and can be easily shared if you have a Wifi enabled camera.
I prefer to take my images, except those on my phone, in RAW format, because I have more information to play with when I am editing. Be forewarned, RAW images come out flat and dull. They do not look like the image you saw on the back of your camera, which was a JPEG, so you will need to process your shot in Lightroom, Photoshop, Aperture, or other software editing programs. If you don't want to spend a lot of time editing, then JPEG might be for you. If, however, you want to play a bit with the image to create something more artistic, then work with RAW. It is a matter of personal choice.
Begin with editing software:
I started with iPhoto then Aperture and eventually moved to Lightroom as my primary editing system. There are others such as Capture One, ON1, DXO Optics Pro, as well as free editing systems like Google Photos, so it all comes down to what works best for you. I like Lightroom because it offers great editing tools and it includes a catalogue so I can organize my photos. Scott Kelby, founder of KelbyOne training, does a great job in this video illustrating how to turn a flat image into a beautiful one using Lightroom. Take ten minutes to watch - you will learn a lot.
Play with plugins:
When I first approach my image I ask myself what I want from it. When I took the photo I had an end result in mind, so after doing some basic editing - cropping, adjusting highlights, and other options available to me, I think about what plugin would help me create that artistic image. If you are not familiar with plugins, you are not alone. It was probably a year before I started experimenting with them. I began with the Nik Collection, which is now owned by Google and is free! I use Nik's Color Efex Pro the most, however there is a wide selection of other options to chose from. Take a look at their You Tube Channel to watch some helpful tutorials.
The image above is one that I took on the beach in Bandon, Oregon. The RAW image on the left is flat and dull, but with some editing with Nik's Color Efex Pro I was able to produce a much more artistic image. The colors and detail were there in the RAW image, and with the help of Aperture and Color Efex Pro I was able to extract them.
I also use Topaz Labs' software quite often. In addition to their regular set of plugins (Topaz Adjust, Simplify, Black and White Effects to name a few), I have been using two others: Topaz Impression and Topaz Texture Effects, which can be used stand-alone or as a plugin.
Topaz Impression is what I use to get a painterly effect in my photos. You can be as subtle or intense as you would like with this software, as you can see in the two images below.
Topaz Texture Effects is a robust software that can put more impact into your photos. Here are a couple of examples. The top image was taken by my DXO One camera in RAW format. I used Texture Effects to add more color and punch in the one below. I think it took a dull photo and made it much more interesting.
This short video will give you a good overview of the possibilities of Texture Effects. Take a minute and watch.
I love taking photos while Camera Walking, and equally enjoy the process of transforming them into artistic images when I am back at the computer. Regardless of whether you prefer a natural or a more enhanced look, remember that photography is a personal experience and it should be an expression of what you love. Once you capture an image that you are excited about, use the variety of editing tools to bring your photo to life. Enjoy!
