Initially, I planned on only using photos as they came out of my camera; I was opposed to the idea of photo editing. I thought that it somehow took away from the idea of photography. I got over it.
It happened simply enough when I had taken a shot that I wanted to lighten up. The shot captured a lot of elements that I was looking for and had not yet achieved in previous photos. Laura had loaded Picasa on my computer for a project several years ago and suggested I try using it. The results are below.
The photo on the left is the “original” – untouched by Picasa’s magic. In Picasa’s editing feature, I pressed the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button. That little button changed the way I perceived photo enhancements. Quite simply, I liked the photo more. And really, that’s what photography is about for me; creating pictures I like to look at. It’s wonderful when other people like them, but my primary goal was be able to look at something pleasing and know that I created it. Even if that meant that the process included a computer program.
I still prefer the idea of taking the perfect picture all on my own (and when I do, I’ll let you know). In the meantime, I enjoy having tools to allow me to edit it, shape it into something more pleasing.
Enjoy.
