before/after

i am perhaps blessed to be surrounded by non-photographers in my life who look at my snapshots and marvel at my 'camera skill'. i try to be honest (most of the time) and tell them that most of what makes my pictures look as good as they do (a subjective and debatable point) is the sometimes rather rugged post-processing i put them through. Photoshop is my friend, and lets me turn out a product that is much more kin to the idea i had in my head when i pressed the shutter in the first place. because the camera and me, we don't always see eye-to-eye. when i see a moment my brain intelligently zooms in on the most spectacular features -- the light just so, these beautiful colors, this subject i adore. the camera, though, can be rather heartless, and it sees everything else that's there, too -- the strange bit of business in the background, the flat shape of the frame. and what's more, that lovely light, the color, it turns out it's not quite so strong in real life, especially once the life has been leeched out of it through its conversion to jpeg, heaven help us if we want to put it on the internet, which magically robs it of even more life, contrast, and color. (if there are any other photographers out there, is this something that you all experience, too? tell me yes, otherwise i'm so completely flummoxed!) so i tweak things, deepen shadows, brighten highlights, pump up colors. like so (and this is a very extreme example, where i went beyond even the truth of my experience of the moment and into a particular effect i wanted to come across strongly, in this case -- green):



or sometimes just to draw your attention to the thing that i intend:



but occasionally i do surgery, when environmental extras just interfere to an excessive level, and must be offed:



there are photographers out there who are just that good, it seems, who point their lens and create magic inside the camera. but truly, every professional photographer that i can think of views post-processing to be as much a part of their artistry and craft as the ability to see a compelling thing and capture it. and the wonder of the digital age is that we no longer have to spend countless hours (and reams of photo paper) trying to do all of that in a darkroom (which i do miss all the same, just as i miss the satisfying ratcheting of the film advance lever after a shot).

and thank you to the shutter sisters, for the constant inspiration as well as a very fun 'assignment'.

heavens

as in: heavens, i take a lot of pictures of my child; or, heavens, i love this boy; or, searching the heavens. along any of those lines. he has the most beatific smile at times, it is the rarest thing. there will probably be more pictures from this warm photoshoot, because he discovered the most remarkable thing: you can put raspberries on your fingers! and then eat them! the results were too adorable to ignore, or keep from you. stay tuned.

a bit old-timey

sometimes i like the noise and grit from a darker, older processing.

raspberry on

boy and street

skating at Greek Easter

first of all, my most abject and humble apologies that those of you hopeful enough to keep checking this blog have been so terribly neglected, and your patience and dedication has been dubiously rewarded with that most lame of salt jar pictures. i honestly don't know what possessed me to post that, but for my humility and posterity's sake, i will let it remain. yech.

here, now: this boy loves skateboards more than anything, and at a Greek Easter party this last Sunday he also discovered how great they are for posing. i did not manipulate him in any way, honest to goodness, i generally avoid that with my subjects. he was just taking a moment to survey his surroundings behind the instantly cool shield of a very worn skateboard. that he played with the entire time. and cried when we made him leave it behind. that, ladies and gents, is passion.

skating feet