Salvaging a Photo

When leading photography workshops, I stress the importance in "getting it as right as possible" at the time you "snap" the photograph, rather than relying on software for the "save."  That said, all digital photos require some degree of enhancement since there's usually a slight gray cast over digital images.

And that said, there are times when an otherwise nondescript photo CAN be saved and SHOULD be saved during the after capture process.  Here's an example taken on a lonely state highway at the "city limits," such as they are, in Baker, Nevada (the home of Great Basin National Park and Lehman Caves). The photo, with the moon just beginning to rise at the left edge, does convey some sense of the long, lonely road; with some subtle colors.  But took much sky and, actually, too much foreground, with the yellow and white lines stopping before the bottom of the frame.

So, with some adjustments in Adobe Lightroom, and cropping the photograph in more of a panorama, it more striking photograph resulted - and one more in keeping with my initial vision. The wider sweep of the desert landscape, darker tones and more "dusk." 

So, before you discard a photo file, take another look and see if there's an image within the image that's worth keeping. 

New Chihuly Museum - A Photographer's Dream

I was a sceptic when it was announced that a museum dedicated to the work of Dale Chihuly, the master glass artist, would be built in the shadow of Seattle's Space Needle. While I had enjoyed photographing within the Museum of Glass in downtown Tacoma, I had now particular intention of visiting the Chihuly Museum in Seattle which opened this past summer. But a perceptive friend invited me along for a photographic adventure.  And am I glad!  As I recall, there are seven interior rooms, each with a motif or theme, followed by a glass-enclosed atrium and then an outdoor glass garden. And each room and space has photo opportunities galore. 

   



This photo was taken in the first room, made up of tall glass tubes of varying colors. Fascinating and photo-worthy in itself, I experimented with zooming the lens at a slower shutter speed to obtain this color abstract.  The photo that follows was taken in the glass atrium with glass flowers hanging from the ceiling and framing the iconic Space Needle that seemingly looms overhead.  In three hours or so, I shot 200+ photographs and could definitely go back another time and obtain different images and just enjoying the artistry of Dale Chihuly and his artistic associates.  Check it out!



 



Zero In on Subject

Our eyes zero in on subjects without us really know it.  Its only when we take a photograph that we see all of the extraneous material that our "eye" did not see but our camera lens DID!  Sometimes it takes a while to fully comprehend what the subject is.  Or, just maybe, there are several ways of presenting the same subject - one in a more "environmental" setting and one that is close-cropped, centering on the "real" image. 

One of my favorite photographs from last fall's journey to Rajasthan and the Pushkar Mela was of a young girl, perhaps 10 years of age - though looking more wizened than that.  The daughter of itinerant salespeople, she naturally composed herself for this first image. The "environmental portrait" included the tools of the family trade and the jumbled surroundings of sand and litter.  And those "Raj Girl Eyes" always have drawn me in. 

Recently, in looking at the photo again, I realized that there was a second image - and I think a stronger one - that zooms in on the face and the eyes. The wizened beyond years look is more pronounced because our eyes are now longer distracted by the surroundings, but can zero in on the face. Both images are, in my humble opinion, wonderful.  Each has its place. And as you review and edit and view and edit some more, look at options to more tightly zoom in the the "meaning" and "subject" of your photographs.