So I found an album of really good photos and I was shocked when I realized that I had never posted any of them! Not a single one! Well, sometimes that happens, but it all worked out in the end. Sometimes I get a kick out of going back and editing my old work. It's nice to see that what else can be done with what I've learned over the years. In between the time that I took these pictures and the time that I'm posting them, my Photoshop skills have become ten times what they used to be, and I don't think that I'm exaggerating. I see two ways of looking at that last statement, and both of those ways are positive, which is awesome! Two glasses that are half full = a nice tall glass of melonade (see homestarrunner.com to find out what melonade is).
First, I'm ten times more proficient at Photoshop then I was when I took these pictures. That's just awesome by itself, no explanation needed. And second, if I'm as good as I am now, and I've come that way through a lot of hard work on my part (and little or no "formal training," then I realize that I can go so much further and I know that I'll constantly be improving. I've been using some tools to edit these photos and I've seen how some of the best photoshoppers/photographers do things and I know that I'm only part of the way there. Often times we think we know everything there is to know about a certain subject, and then something will happen that will give us some perspective by letting us know that we don't know everything and that there is so much more to learn. One of my greatest fears is that my work will be just like everybody else, that, as Zack Arias put it, what "I bring to the table" will be no different than everything "that countless others have not already served up on this massive platter of visual pollution we create each and every day." After seeing how far I've come, and knowing that I have so far to go, I'm absolutely convinced that I can be happy with my photography because I'll be constantly changing, evolving, and pushing myself to the limits. So far I've really enjoyed where this career path has taken me, and I look forward to the future and the scenic route that life has a way of making me take. Those detours have made life so much more interesting and beautiful (because it's a metaphorical scenic route and I'm a photographer, get it) than I ever would have made of it in my own hasty crossing from point A to point B. Pleas forgive my rambling, but I honestly feel deep down that the future is very bright, for me professionally as well as personally. Thank you all for joining me in my little journey through life as a photographer, artist, and a man.
Now, let's get to the good stuff, okay? These tools that I've been talking about are called actions, the hidden power of Photoshop. They allow me to edit so much faster than before and the results truly speak for themselves. The creator of these actions is a guy named Doug Boutwell, and the action set is called Totally Rad Actions. Here are some of photos of my incredibly photogenic sister, Jenny. Isn't she beautiful?!
