Photography

Correcting or Altering Photos

This is the way purple Coneflowers are supposed to look.

The following were seriously underexposed photos that were corrected as best as I could. It really changed the over all appearance and color compared to the top two photos. Am I the only one that hangs on to bad shots & tries to fix them like this?

Granted, it’s unique and interesting in it’s own way, but they really look “blah” compared to the the top two photos taken. Below are two that I tried with less color saturation so they would look less bright and garish.

Another example of underexposed coneflowers I corrected but would have looked so much better if the exposure was right. I am really not sure what was going on with my camera at the time this happened. Sometimes I manually adjust for the lighting & forget to change it back.

The next photo didn’t have an exposure problem but one that I didn’t notice in the field while taking it. There was part of a plant in the foreground to the left I didn’t notice at the time I took the shot. It ruined what could have been a decent photograph.

“A Little Knowledge…

Is A Dangerous Thing.”

And it can make or break your photographs.

I have no excuse.  For years I worked off and on for professional finishing labs as well as a private One Hour Photo Lab that I operated for years, I did not own it.  Along with photo finishing I sold cameras & had knowledge of their operation, went to workshops, etc.  I used to care about aperture, film speed, now I switch my Pentax K200D to auto on everything I can.

I chose this body because I had a Pentax 35mm with a couple of lenses & I could interchange on this digital camera body which is what I have been doing for over 10 years.  I absolutely need to upgrade but know when I do, another better digital camera will come out even cheaper.

One of my shortcomings is that I don’t always think things through or verify information that I have before I do things.  Knowing quite a bit about cameras and their accessories gave me a false sense of security that I “knew it all.”  When I found a “softener” filter in my lens size I got all excited & purchased it.  It didn’t occur to me to ask why it had (B) on it.

Come to find out that B is a stronger softener than the A that was not available at the time.  Had I questioned the proprietor I would have been told that this filter has a stronger softening effect than A and asked them to order it for me since that was my intent.  I wished just the slightest hint of softening.  Instead I ended up with almost a “fog” effect which I intend trying at a later date in a cemetery or especially with lights like at Christmas.

Needless to say I used it a few times and was not happy with it.

Sharing the results of the Hoya 49mm softener B results.  I promise to do another post later when use it again with specific results in mind.  I had no idea what the effects would actually be until this trial shoot at Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan and my yard.

Pink Tiger Lilies
Close up of the stars that appear in lights with the softener lens.

 

This lens does not do justice to delicate pink rose petals starting to fade.

Miscellaneous flower shots.  A few are not bad.  I need to play with it more.

Layered Photography

If you are into arts or crafts you may be familiar with collages.  Layering various materials to achieve what ever idea you have in mind.

Many think of art as creative expression.  A way that some can “work through” various issues they have emotionally.  I’m sure some do.  I never thought of art as a way to express myself.  If I did I’m sure I would create much more and very different art than I usually do.

I just love collages.  I enjoy seeing others ideas and hoping something touches me.  Personally I create any art with beauty in mind be it visual, music, dance, etc.  Some modern art is downright ugly and offensive.  I don’t care if it is someone’s expression, if it’s ugly I don’t want to see it.

Some things can be a mess to some and I might like it.  Then there could be another mess that actually looks like a mess to me but someone else gets it.

I have always been enamored with the Old Masters.  They were perfection.  They had talent and went for realism.  Then came the sloppier impressionists.  They helped bring about what I call “crap on canvas.”

Speaking of which, I do love my collages.  The ones from altered books, pages, pictures, paints, papers, lace & anything else you can glue on.

This was one I layered from various photos to look hand made.  Usually when I create layered photos I have a different technique, similar to the one below which might be various flowers with complementary colors layered on an enhancing background.