After

Once again I find myself looking at a long tutorial to explain what I’ve done for the AB Friday Challenge.

Yesterday I was playing around with some ideas and looked over several tutorials, both text and video.  I combined the ideas and then added some of my own flare.  And I came up with a convoluted way to get a look I like.

See for some time I’ve had a bit of a conundrum.  I really like a specific look in other photographer’s work, but I don’t really employ that look in my own photos.  I like things with a lot of detail and kind of grungy, like Gregory Heisler’s image of Luis Sarria.  But I don’t take photos of people.  I also like the HDR hypercolor of Trey Radcliff, but I typically don’t take photos of landscapes.

No, my focus has really been on nature, with an emphasis on macro.  And to be honest, after having an instructor make an example out of me for manipulating my photo in ways in which he did not approve, I sort of felt constrained to keep my images looking ‘natural’.  I recently read an article by Leanne Cole, where she states that her instructors encouraged her to make her images her own, “It’s your image, do what you like to it.”

And it got me thinking.  This one instructor of mine, that was a nightmare, has made me second guess myself for years.  I used to call him “magic 8 ball”, because you never knew what to expect from him.  He basically couldn’t be pleased.  I eventually dropped that class and never took another class that he taught.  Why is it that that instructor made a bigger dent in my conscience than my favorite teachers who not only encouraged thinking outside of the box but also taught me several really cool techniques that I know and love today?  Why have I been stifling myself to keep nature photos ‘natural’?

Before

Especially when we are so flooded with photos now that there are cameras on our phones.  Making my images my own will set me apart from the deluge of photos out there, right?

So that is the space I’ve been in lately.  Wondering what my next steps should be.  Thinking about my photos and what look I like and how I can merge the two.

The One Four Challenge and the AB Friday Forum have really helped me test the waters of my abilities and what techniques I can apply to my images.

So once again, I find myself on a journey.  I may end up in a place I didn’t expect.

Well, this post was more of a exploration of my feelings rather than the tutorial I thought I sat down to write.  I guess I’ll publish this and then go work on that tutorial.

Until next time…
~nic