Why Edit Your Photographs?

Frankly, it’s a question I’ve never thought about. Ever since I starting shooting digitally, and ever since I became aware of software available to edit, I’ve edited. But I’m preparing a short talk for a group of hobbyist photographers and I’ve discovered that some of them don’t edit, have never edited and have never considered editing. I find that fascinating. We will talk more about why they don’t edit in a bit.

There is a long standing debate about in-camera skills vs. post-processing skills. From the early days of photography, and rightly so, it was decisions about framing, composition, exposure, and using natural light and shadow properly that determined the end result. I agree with that perspective and continue to refine my skills in-camera. But artists being artists, more options were discovered for adding a unique look, a mood or an effect to that end result. Today, the options can be almost endless, including AI driven editing technologies. So let’s explore that a bit further.

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Learning Something New is Hard

My last blog mentioned my recent trip to Los Angeles for a photography workshop that focused on presenting architectural elements as abstracts. It’s a very unique style of presentation, and as it turns out, not one that I am really comfortable with. Some results are great, like the one below. But most, not so much.

The Slide

There seem to be three reasons for this. Find out what they are and why I was surprised by them.

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LA Calling!

I find it astonishing that I can wake up in one city one day and wake up in another city 4,100km (2,600 miles) away the next day. I am one generation removed from the generation that invented gas-powered passenger flight. Yet I am able to go to the airport, hop a plane, and be in a new universe in just hours.

I did that recently, travelling by plane from Toronto to Los Angeles. I was there to attend a photography workshop, hosted by Angie McMonigal, a wonderful architectural photographer who specializes in abstract captures of architecture. Many of the photographers I’m drawn to now come from technical or science backgrounds and Angie does too. Her focus on details is exceptional, opening up a whole new way of seeing. But it’s her artistry that is stunning.

Angie is way ahead of me and has already published a look at our session, which you can access above, along with her images from the event.

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When Life Gets in the Way of Art

First, Happy Flag Day! To all my Canadian readers, we show the flag with pride today – first unveiled 60 years ago. Proud of the flag – and so very proud to be a Canadian!

As you read this, I’m in the final planning stages of a trip – to Los Angeles. Will be joining an avid group of hobbyist architectural photographers to try creating abstracts with this unusual source subject. A new twist for me on a typically formal subject, usually captured with full facades, straight lines and predictable angles. These images will be tilted, twisted and perhaps even distorted. It should be fascinating. I’ll report on the outcome separately, but I wanted to take note of a few unexpected considerations in my planning. Not life imitating art or vice-versa, but rather life getting in the way of art.

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Opening Your Mind on Opening Night

I’ve had the opportunity over the past few months to visit several galleries where photography exhibitions had opened. These openings were in no way related to each other: one showed historical/documentary work, one showed the natural world and one showed artistic creations supported by artificial intelligence. In two cases, the artist or curator was available to discuss the work as I wandered through it. Each was a wonderful journey. Let me telll you why.

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When Technical Support is No Support at All

Happy New Year all! Playing with those Christmas gifts? Here’s the story of one of mine.

Any hobby that relies on technology will eventually bring you to a point where you need to contact Technical Support. I’m pretty savvy and can solve most technical things on my own. I frankly prefer to do that, as I learn better that way how to avoid the problem next time.

I had a situation recently though that made it necessary to seek help. I purchased a piece of equipment before Christmas through my favourite telescope shop. The item was made by SkyWatcher, a reputable, well-known and trusted brand. Sadly, the item did not work at all out of the box and despite my best efforts, I could not solve the problem. So I contacted technical support, first at the shop where I purchased it, then through SkyWatcher. Here’s what happened…

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10 Years

Just watched a video by Thomas Heaton, one of my favourite landscape photographers, about his 10 years on YouTube and what it has meant to his life.

Well, that got me thinking. 10 years ago, I retired from working for a living for a salary. It was actually in June of this year, but I didn’t stop to dwell on it then. Year ends are usually time for reflection, so I think it’s time for mine.

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Gift Giving – 2024 Edition

Can’t believe it’s that season again – when we all struggle with trying to decide what to buy for those who are closest to us. We want to celebrate their importance to us and to celebrate how we feel about them. Apart from dealing with the commerciality of the season, this end goal is really, really hard because it means so much.

Gift giving seems to go through a variety of transitions over our lives. We go through phases of gift giving – initially, we give gifts that say something cute to a new friend or romantic interest but may just be a trinket or token; we then move to gifts that are trendy because everyone wants one; eventually, we indulge in financially more expensive gifts that say “you deserve this” and then, when we and our loved ones have all the stuff we need, ultimately, we look for gifts that are more personal, less commercial, perhaps even made with the hands of the gift giver.

At this stage of my life, I’ve come full circle around gift giving. Most of my family and friends have as well. What to do for those who really don’t need more stuff? Here are a few ideas.

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Visiting ProFusion Expo

Earlier this month, I ventured into that den of iniquity – the largest photo and video trade show in Canada, called Profusion Expo. It is hosted by retail vendor Vistek here in Toronto. It brings together vendors of all the major camera and video brands, and includes a myriad of special presentations from their ambassadors along with the opportunity to put hands on their latest equipment.

The retail marketplace has changed big-time for this market since Covid. Products are not refreshed as often, and when they are, the new releases are not available everywhere for customers to see and touch before buying. Anything I’ve bought in the last few years has been online or as a “pre-order”, sight unseen. One reason for my going to the show this year was to see what I could not see elsewhere. It did not disappoint.

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Why is Astrophotography So Popular Now?

If you check the sales numbers of the top camera manufacturers worldwide over the last 15 years, you will see that sales have dropped by more than 90%. The market for traditional camera sales has clearly bottomed out, with most of us relying on our cellphones now to capture those memorable daytime visual experiences.

In contrast, the market for astrophotography is exploding, particularly in the 30-40 year age groups. Inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic, sales have skyrocketed. While still technically a niche subject, the number of companies now that offer specialized astrophotography equipment, along with the number of companies that will design and build a custom home observatory for you, is growing by leaps and bounds. There are also star parties around the world each year where enthusiasts gather to share experiences and ideas. YouTube searches for astrophotography confirm the growing interest, although there is a strange unexplained dip between 2018 and 2020.

My last blog post talked about a move away from technology to more analogue options, especially for young folk. This bucks that trend bigtime. Why?

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