Thursday, December 13, 2012

The Photo Isn't Done

They say you should only show your best work. But, I want to memorialize my progress. So some ugly must be kept.

When I learned to develop and print film on paper it was surprising to me just how much work was done to images in the dark room. Creating the photograph isn't complete until the print is made.

After switching to digital I wasn't prepared for the same process. Digital is infinitely more controllable. Simply being able to select White Balance is a huge advantage. It's like carrying a wide selection of balanced films. But instead of carefully winding up a partially finished roll and inserting another (praying you remember how many frames had been shot)... we simply press a button. We can change ISO the same way. It seemed digital promised much more control lattitude to get things right in the camera.

And it does. But... as always... there is improvement to be had in Post Production. I was not prepared for this. I've spent the last several weeks sponging tutorials, techniques, and testing methods. It's paid off, I think. I'm far from an expert. But I think the improvement in the following photos show what's possible.

Below are the final images. If you put your mouse over the photo you see the Out of Camera version. Click on it to take you to Flickr and get the full sized photo...



This one is interesting. I didn't have a speedlight available for filling in the shadows. But with some careful dodging I was able to approximate the effect, salvaging the photo. I'd rather get this right In Camera, but desperate times...




This is probably my favorite photo of the event...


Photo 16...


Photo 20...


Photo 24...


Photo 25...


Photo 30...