A little while back I posted an article asking you to take a look at a before and after photo. (Here’s the article) It was an exercise that encouraged you to analyze and think about what decisions and changes you thought that I made regarding the image.
With so many photos and images presented to us each and every day, it’s understandable that we often just glance and blow by an image without ever taking the time to truly analyze, process and think about the reasons an image might be engaging or “meh”. I think one of the greatest skills a photographer can hone is the ability to intentionally craft an image so that it is notable. There are SO many factors that go into a compelling image. Before the shutter is clicked, a photographer may already envision and have a plan on what they’d like to create. Then there are decisions that are made in the capture and selection phase. Finally there are choices made as the photo is being edited and processed. What a viewer ultimately sees is the sum total of all of these decisions and choices (or lack thereof).
In the video below, I walk you through one photo and invite you to “look over my shoulder” and hear the thoughts that I might have had as I captured and then processed this one photo.
I need your feedback: Is this something you’d like me to do every so often? If so, please take a moment of your time to leave a comment below. ANY feedback would sure be appreciated. What would you like to see / hear in future installments of “How and Why?”
VIDEO
Cool video…I really enjoy Lightroom videos as that is what I use for post. That was a great tip with the masking slider, I rarely if ever use it but will pay more attention to it now. My version (5.7) of Lightroom doesn’t have that dehaze slider so I’m thinking it might be time for an upgrade, that was definitely an excellent adjustment.
I enjoyed this and wouldn’t mind seeing more in the future.
Thanks Mark!
I enjoyed watching you tinker around with your photo. It gives me some more things to think about the next time I am doing some post processing work on my own photos. I also enjoyed seeing and hearing your explanations on how and why you took different angles and your approach to getting the “money shot” of the dog and her feet. I would like to see more videos like this one done in the future. Thanks so much, Sonny!
Glad it was helpful Jason!
I’m glad you showed us how your final image was done. Also of value, was your walk through of Lightroom. I use Photoshop CS4 so this was a good introduction for me.
Hey Marilyn! Yes, Lightroom has some groovy tools!
Sonny, I realize this is an older video but I really enjoy the videos on using Lightroom and find them very helpful. Actually I enjoy all your videos as you do a great job explaining things very well in a friendly manner… it feels like I know you. Thanks very much for the effort you put into them.
Hey Rich! Glad to hear that the videos are helpful. I enjoy creating them and hope that they help people with a few tips here and there to improve their photos.