Photoshop is a behemoth.

I went to the lab today to work on my six images for Project Two. I spent a little over an hour on two photos. I kept making mistakes and undoing. I'm also extremely indecisive. I kept going back and forth on settings like levels, curves, and brightness. I'm still not sure if I'm completely happy with the changes.

There are so many things you can do with Photoshop, but you have to be careful. I get really excited with all the settings that I get carried away.

That's what happened with this image:

the original

the over-edited

I find it to be too colorful and too contrasted. It almost looks cartoonish and it definitely looks edited. After I finished, I compared the original with the edited and realized it was way too much.

here was my attempt to tone it down:

I decided to start over. I wanted it less cropped as well. I made subtle, but noticeable changes, and I'm much happier with it.

I think Photoshop, like all the other Adobe programs, can only be learned through large amounts of time on the computer, working through each tool and experimenting with different settings. I'm excited to learn more about Photoshop, so I can start editing photos faster and more accurately. 

I went to Trafalgar Square to take photos this week. I think I took a lot of great photos, but I'm glad this assignment includes Photoshop. It was a sunny day and some things look a bit washed out. I think with the right enhancements on the computer they could be really great.

I thought it would be cool to test out the zoom exercise. I tried to keep the statue the same size in every picture. I only had my 55mm lens, but can imagine a longer lens would have been much more dramatic from start to finish. It's amazing how different each picture is, regardless.

I'm so excited to work with photography again!

I was frustrated and not satisfied with my class assignment this week, so I decided to take my camera and hop down to the touristy parts of London and take some photos.

It was night time, which meant long exposures and a lot of blurry shots. like this one:

I eventually figured out the makeshift tripod:

Speaking of problem solving.... the power of correct exposure:

LIGHTS OFF:

LIGHTS ON:

 These two shots were mess-ups, but I find them aesthetically pleasing, nevertheless.  Shutter Speed is my favorite adjustment, I feel like there's a lot of creative possibilities.

 Here are a few others, I particularly enjoyed.