Why I Do It & How I Do It
They say the camera never lies. True, but sadly this also means the camera doesn't quite capture the image you thought you were going to get. The camera will capture all those blemishes, unwanted objects and idiots that get in the way..
All is not lost though, it is possible to get a decent picture from the original photograph.
This article describes how I do it. Millions may disagree but that is their privilege; it makes no difference to me. I have my preferred way and it keeps me happy.
The picture above is a smaller version of a photograph I took recently (the original size was 48" x 32"; click the link on the left to view the original. Warning! It is a big file!). You can see the original has blemishes from the spots on my camera's image sensor. The original image is too big, I usually save them as 18" x 12" (maintaining the original ratio of 1.5:1), there are people getting in the way (I wanted a picture of the ship, not the local frolickers) and I didn't want the lifeboat in the picture but there was no chance of asking them to move it. Close inspection also showed that the horizon may not have been quite level. Finally, in the list of things I didn't want, was the assorted yachts, masts etc on the left of the picture. In the next few pages, I hope to be able to show how I deal with these issues and I hope they will prove useful to those who would like to give their photographs similar treatment. I use Adobe Photoshop 7.0. I know it is not the most up to date but it is the version I am comfortable with. In each of the following pages, you can click on an image to see the original, larger version.
Right, let's get started >>>>>....Next Page....>>>>>