Saturday, February 6, 2010

Before & After, Episode 9 | WELSEY CHAPEL FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY

I'd like to try something new this time around, in hopes that the differences between the before and after images will be more readily apparent. In the past, I've always shown the before & afters side by side, but it was often difficult to pick up on all of the subtle nuances and minor differences between the two. As a photographer who regularly spends hours upon hours in Photoshop, these minor differences in color and tone quite simply jump off the page at me, but I also realize that to the average pair of eyes such things are not quite as obvious. So this new method of displaying the images should make things much clearer for everyone.

The image I chose for this episode turned out to be one of my favorites of 2009, once it was completely transformed in Photoshop from a muddy, dark, and underexposed mess into a truly vibrant and heartwarming shot. It's really amazing the things you can do to rescue a bad photograph sometimes, and I think this is probably the best example in my entire portfolio.

When I'm out shooting with a client, my goal is of course to capture the absolute best images possible, and in the best light. Sometimes, however, the light changes unexpectedly (e.g. the sun goes behind, or pops out from behind a cloud), and it can fool the camera into severely under or overexposing the image. Shortly after this image was taken, and largely in response to the frustration I experienced while trying to edit it, I began shooting exclusively with my camera in Manual mode. This technique certainly isn't for the faint-hearted, but it really helps prevent such situations from occurring.

Although this fairly remarkable transformation just goes to show how much leeway can be enjoyed by a bad photographer who happens to be handy with Photoshop [pointing the finger squarely at myself], it should be noted that this particular example is truly the exception rather than the rule.

Anyhoo, to see the before & after, simply move your mouse pointer over the picture and then back off again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Enjoy!











About Me

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Tampa, FL, United States
I'm a commercial photographer in Tampa, FL specializing in band & musician promos, CD covers, press kits, posters, and the like. Please feel free to check out my website/blog using the link below, and give me a shout if I can be of service to you!

http://TampaBandPhotos.com

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