Subtle

So, I’m always trying to learn more when it comes to my photography and sometimes it can all be overwhelming. In the end it is always best to get it right in camera so you have more leverage to play once the photo is ready for editing. Seriously – this concept took me WAY too long to get. WAY too long.  Get it right in the camera first and the rest becomes so much easier.

As you can see, this image of Munchkin that I took earlier today is edited in a few different ways. The differences are fairly subtle, but they are different.

The first image is my basic edit.  This is my no frills basic clean edit.  The second images is a tweaked version of The Pioneer Woman’s “soft and faded” action.  The third is her vintage action – again this one is tweaked a little bit.  The fourth images is Nicole Van’s light bw tweaked a little (see a theme here?).  The final image is Nicole V’s “black and white from an edited color photo” action – again played with a bit.  Pioneer Woman’s actions for free – Nicole’s are a pack that I purchased a while back (there are many free black and white actions out there though if you look around).

Moral of the story – play with your pictures!!  Bigger moral of the story – play with your actions!  You must play around with the action to achieve the look you want.

Of course, I have my favorites of the above so here they are bigger below.

This one is the second image above.  I love it because it is soft and light with a nice balance of warmth and I think really speaks to the tones of the image.  This one is my top choice.

And this one is my favorite black and white.  While I probably could warm it up, I like how light and airy it is.

Don’t be scared – I’m giving you permission – play with your pictures – it is the only way to really develop your photographic eye!