Photoshopping

9 out of 10 photos on this blog are unenhanced, unedited, uncropped. They represent the photo I took. For years, I have resisted editing my photos. I want them to look as natural and real as possible and so many edited photos I see out there look plastic to me. The colors are too bright, too vibrant. The clarity just too much. Some end up looking cartoonish.

But all too frequently, I started to notice that a lot of photos I was taking simply didn’t reflect what I actually saw when I took the picture. The colors too faded, washed out. Shadowy areas much darker and less distinct than in reality.

So, occasionally, I’ve started tinkering with pictures. Just increasing the color a bit, or the light, or both, and enhancing the clarity. What I’m trying to do is use the editing tools to create the picture I saw while not turning them into an unbelievable riot of color.

Below are three versions of the same picture. The first is what my camera produced. The colors in the sky are far less than what I saw when I took the picture.

The second is what I produced using the basic photo editing software on my laptop. I brightened the colors, but lost the foreground.

The third is taking that initially enhanced photo and running it through the auto enhance feature on Photo Shop Express. The colors remain, but the light in the foreground is returned, bringing the entire picture to what I saw that night in San Simeon. I’m still trying to figure out how clicking on one “button” on the app can do this.

 

 

 

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A Peek Inside

Today’s random ramblings:

• Read this article about the Feds’ interest in developing a super wi-fi network around the country that would be free.  Having just entered the smart phone society (more on this later), I hope this comes to pass.  I’m now spending $200 a month on cell phones for a family of four.  Free that money up for me and the millions who are doing the same and imagine what that could do for the economy instead of padding the pockets of the cell phone companies.
• After six days, I’ve sold over 280 copies of One Night in Bridgeport.  Copies is not necessarily the right word since all but two or three were Kindle downloads.  But, I’ll take it.  Never thought my promotional efforts would produce this.  The daily sales are dropping now.  From a high of about 100 on Friday down to 11 so far today.  Regardless, it was an incredible six days for me that has re-invigorated my interest in writing.
• On my drive home from work today I was offered the paradox of both beauty and ugly in the space of seconds.  First, I should dispense with the ugly.  Drove by a neighborhood park (fortunately, not in my neighborhood, although it could have happened there as well).  There were a couple of kids hanging out on the corner.  They were young, maybe one was on the young end of the teenage scale and the rest were younger.  The one who seemed to be the oldest casually flipped off the car in front of me and kept it out for my pleasure as well.  I am just amazed at times.
• On to the beauty of the evening.  The last couple of weeks, on my drive home, I’ve been treated to beautiful sunsets.  There haven’t been heavy, thick clouds lately in Sacramento, but almost every evening there is a thin, wispy layering of clouds along the western horizon that turn these brilliant shades of purples and oranges and every color in between as I spend those 30-45 minutes on my way home.  Every evening at some point I wish for my camera.  Friday, I realized that with my recently purchased IPhone, I no longer needed my camera for these last minute picture opportunities.  The problem was that I couldn’t find the right spot for the picture on Friday.  Too many buildings in the way.  Tonight, I turned off the main road, taking a narrow road into a more rural area just outside my neighborhood and took the following pictures with my IPhone.  The pictures really don’t do the colors justice.  If you live in the Sacramento area and you’re not looking to the western sky on your drive home around 5:30, you’re missing something …

A Moment

Watching my son’s game late yesterday afternoon, I got to watch the beginning of the day’s sunset.  Here you go.  (I still think I need to start a photo blog devoted entirely to clouds.)

 

And, speaking of soccer, I’ll share these here as well…