Yes, I agree with you @NormandyLiz. Whilst experimenting with the software, I often thought that the original of my photo looked better than the processed one! I do tend to wait for the lighting to be right in my garden before photographing and take time to get the composition to my liking. I am going to take a month's free trial of Photoshop Elements 2023 to see if it's better than Pixelmator Pro. There's a 2024 version being released next month so that might be worth waiting for.
On the 'subtle button', @Plantminded, it's definitely harder to find than the full on effects button when you start getting into processing. I think we've all fallen into the trap.
Absolutely! I went through a heavy vignette phase, the obligatory "everything in black and white except for one thing" phase, and for some reason I added frames to everything for a while. Now I look at those photos and wonder what I was doing.
@Plantminded Liz's advice is great - the best part about digital cameras is that you're not limited in your practice shots. If I'm photographing a flower I might take ten shots from one angle, ten from another, then go back when the light is changed and take thirty more. I'm not very technically savvy, but I constantly play with settings while photographing something to see how different settings affect the overall photo.
I appreciate your thoughts @CrankyYankee, thank you. Interesting to read how your skills developed which I can relate to. Practice and patience I think!
here's a shot from last year that I posted on a French photography forum. It got slated, including a very rude 'tut tut' waggy finger from someone. I am no longer on that forum. But what do you think?
Wild garlic
Experiment and play - I'm not sure there is much point to anything else, unless it's your career. As we create, we learn. Like a poem, an image will say different things to different people. I am personally very fond of white on white.
I don't have eyes that work very well, so I have never dived far into photography or graphics software. But, as with painting, I know very little technically, and perhaps it frees me up to play without worrying about rules or spending hours in front of screens. For me it has to be down and dirty and pleasing. I have an old Canon Bridge camera and I enjoy its creative settings very much - it does all the work. And I enjoy the macro lens attachment for my iPhone.
I am aware, though, that experts will see in photo images huge amounts that I do not see. They will be able to "read" the settings, adjustments, choices made in the picture - like an experienced poetry editor can understand the process the writer used in writing the poem. A lovely image will just get a "wow" from me. That's it.
On the 'subtle button', @Plantminded, it's definitely harder to find than the full on effects button when you start getting into processing. I think we've all fallen into the trap.
Absolutely! I went through a heavy vignette phase, the obligatory "everything in black and white except for one thing" phase, and for some reason I added frames to everything for a while. Now I look at those photos and wonder what I was doing.
@Plantminded Liz's advice is great - the best part about digital cameras is that you're not limited in your practice shots. If I'm photographing a flower I might take ten shots from one angle, ten from another, then go back when the light is changed and take thirty more. I'm not very technically savvy, but I constantly play with settings while photographing something to see how different settings affect the overall photo.
Ah yes. I'd forgotten about the colour pop and frames phases. Thanks for reminding me (not).
As for the photographing the same thing from different angles , I have just spent a happy hour on my knees (as so often) photographing the different stages of parsley flower to seed. Not sure I really like any of them so far, but then I got distracted by a little forget-me-not
first angle - sort of ok
second attempt better
but I got there in the end
All in shade. Many flowers work so much better without strong sunlight (I think).
To be honest, @Plantminded, it doesn't work for me. Sorry.
The composition needs to be tighter, the flowers working together instead of one on non-speaks with the others, and the blurring round the outside is too abrupt and doesn't compensate for the depth of field actually behind the flowers. It's very hard to do that with processing, you might get somewhere close but it would take a long time of fiddly work (and layers!).
Can you tell us a bit about your camera (or phone) and whether you are using automatic or manual settings?
Posts
Ah yes. I'd forgotten about the colour pop and frames phases. Thanks for reminding me (not).
As for the photographing the same thing from different angles
first angle - sort of ok
second attempt better
but I got there in the end
All in shade. Many flowers work so much better without strong sunlight (I think).
The composition needs to be tighter, the flowers working together instead of one on non-speaks with the others, and the blurring round the outside is too abrupt and doesn't compensate for the depth of field actually behind the flowers. It's very hard to do that with processing, you might get somewhere close but it would take a long time of fiddly work (and layers!).
Can you tell us a bit about your camera (or phone) and whether you are using automatic or manual settings?