Monday, November 17, 2008

You don't take a photograph, you make it.

I like to take this quote by the spirit of it...

You don't take a photograph, you make it.
- Ansel Adams

With that quote in mind, my love of photography and technology combine. With the advent of Photoshop and digital photography, I like to look beyond what I see in the view finder and imagine what the final photo could look like. 

Take this shot for example...



This shot as is really does not say much, and lacks a solid point of interest. How would you improve this shot? There are many things the photographer could do to enhance the outcome of this shot from a composition and exposure standpoint, but would the outcome speak to you?

This is a shot that I took from the balcony of our condo on Hilton Head Island one night. What I was trying to capture was the moon light hitting the water. From there I just let my imagination take over.


I saw this shot as a surreal or mystic scene. A little change in the orientation, color of the lighting with some stars, and a sail boat to pull you in.

Now I'm not saying this is a prize winning photo, or that it would speak to everyone, but rather to use your imagination! Do your best when shooting a photo to compose it, and check your exposure, but when you download your photos after you get home from vacation, don't trash the shots that may not be "perfect" look deep into them and see them for what they could be.

You don't take a photograph, you make it.

To see more before and after shots, check out my Flickr site.

As a side note: this photo "Midnight Sail" did take 3rd place in the Creative Category at the Club's Sept 2007 print competition.

Brian Rowe

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