By George, I Think I've Got It!!

Remember when I said that one of the main reasons for this blog was for me to learn what doesn't work and what does? Well, this is one of those posts. I have been reworking (again) some photos and here is what I learned...

This doesn't work ... This doesn't work... This works!!

This doesn't work... This doesn't work... This works!!

This doesn't work... This doesn't work... This works!!

I am putting this post here to remind me not to be so quick, but to take more time; and maybe take a day or two after editing something - then go back and take another look. It's amazing what a difference 24 hours makes.

I am SOOOO excited to have figured out all those neat little buttons and commands in the software!!

Learning Curve

I have a love/hate relationship with learning. I love to do things right the very first time, I hate having to "learn" how to make things happen, I'm impatient, and I don't like to admit my mistakes, but when it all comes together - after the frustration and nail-biting - and I can do a little happy dance in my pjs, I'm glad I took the time. One of the main purposes of this blog is for me to learn; and part of learning is admitting mistakes and understanding how to correct them. I have been reading tutorials (I know...reading directions?! Shocking!!) for my editing program, and have learned quite a lot! I still have a long way to go, but I think I'm getting there. Here we have some before and afters...can you see the differences? I sure can!

**Before** **After**
Remember what I was saying before about close-cropping...I couldn't help myself. The main difference here is in the contrast, I eased up just a bit - so the faces aren't so bright, but I was still able to get the colors on Little G's sweater to pop...which I love!

**Before** **After**

With this one, I brightened the image, tweaked the blue a bit, and eliminated some of the orange tones from Big G's face.

Are the "Afters" perfect? Far from it!! But I think they're better than the "Befores" and that's all I can ask for at this point in the game. Baby steps, people.

Big G, Little G

These are two of my favorite little people. They braved the bitter wind and cold temperatures this week to be my little guinea pigs. Aren't their smiles adorable?! I can't wait until the weather is warmer & I can get their adorable family to the beach!

Off and Running

Afton's 5th birthday was a few weeks ago (I can't believe she's 5 already!! Where does the time go?) So for her birthday pictures I took her to downtown Wilmington. We wandered through a couple alleys, borrowed a couple store fronts, and tried not to stop traffic with my cutie-patootie. So, whadd'ya think??

So, here we are...

I have been debating doing this for some time now. I've been worried about the feedback I would get, concerned about the constructive criticism I would receive, struggling with whether or not I could take that criticism and turn it into something that would help me achieve my goal. What is that goal? Well, I want to be a good photographer. Do I want to be a professional? I don't know yet. I know this...I love beautiful pictures, I love to take (hopefully) beautiful pictures, I love when a picture draws people in, I especially love when one of my pictures does that. So I will be posting photos here for all the world to see...and comment on. I would love to hear anything constructive that you have for me; what works for you, what doesn't work for you, how a photo makes you feel (as long as it doesn't make you feel like you want to go blind), what you would change or what you wouldn't. Please keep in mind that, personally, I love contrast-y, saturated pictures. I love colors that are so bright they make your scalp itch. I have an obscene sort of love affair with black & white as well, and I suffer from "tight-cropping" syndrome. I have a hard time not going overboard, but if I do - you can tell me. All I ask is that you be kind. With each picture, you will find a series of numbers/abbreviations and the like. This is mostly just for me to track how I achieved those particular results in my photo editing program. Hopefully, we will be able to see some progress in the coming months.