Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Complete Photographer?

I really enjoy going through my images, browsing through my catalog, stopping at images that haven't been edited, or even stopping at some that have, only to improve them further.  Tagging, rating, keywording, and yes, culling, all are quite enjoyable activities for me. 

I frequently tell my friends that I enjoy EDITING pictures as much as I like TAKING them.  I like both, a lot, and I think you should too.  These two different activities although closely related, involve quite different skill sets.  What would be the point of having a box full of negatives if no one enjoyed them?  And if you were great at printing, wouldn't it be more fun have lot of your own images to work with?  Some of my friends take a lot of pictures, but seldom edit them, and seldom share them.  On the other hand, I'm sure you know people that would just as soon sit in front of Photoshop all day than go outside with you on a photoshoot.

What are your preferences...shooting...editing...sharing?  There's no wrong answer, just right answers--what's right for you.  But I'd just ask you to think about expanding your interests and skills.  You may need spend a little time, study time, practice time--consider this an investment in the hobby you love.

I'd love to hear how you're doing...

1 comment:

  1. Well, I'd have to say that I enjoy being outside and creating the images more than editing them at the computer. But, if I realize I have captured a special image, then the thrill of getting the most out of that effort excites me. Unfortunately that only applies to about 1 out of 100 at best. I really like Lightroom and feel comfortable with what it can do. I'm totally afraid of Photoshop Elements with all it's capabilities and just can't seem to sit down and learn it enough to be comfortable with it. So, I tend to avoid it only taking my images as far as Lightroom can take them.

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