Monday, January 19, 2015

Me vs The Camera

It was a cold, dark night:
my eyes watering
my fingers frozen
my feet numb
my teeth chattering
my mouth parched
(I refused to pay $3 for a bottle of water)
my iso cranked
my aperture wide open
my tripod on my back
(it was too cold to open it -
why did I even bring the thing?)
and this is what my camera saw...

www.rebeccahaegelephotography.com
Penn's Landing Waterfront 
Philadelphia, PA 

But that is not what my eyes saw...
THIS is what I saw.

www.rebeccahaegelephotography.com
My vision of Penn's Landing Waterfront 
Philadelphia, PA 

How can that be?
Because the camera didn't know about
watering
frozen
numb
chattering
parched
me.

So I edited the image to match my vision.
(If you are a photo purist, this post is not for you. Sorry.)

www.rebeccahaegelephotography.com
Ben Franklin Bridge 
Philadelphia, PA

When I see something my mind immediately starts playing with it.
(Yup, even if I sit in your living room
my mind will start rearranging your furniture
and decor into vignettes.
I. can't. help. it.
It just happens.)

www.rebeccahaegelephotography.com
My vision Ben Franklin Bridge I
Philadelphia, PA 
It looks colder here, doesn't it? 

When I see a subject
my mind does the same thing.
How would it look in black and white,
as a charcoal piece,
as a water color.
And that is how I see it in my mind.
So,
when I take a photo
I try to recreate the vision I had
through the editing process.

www.rebeccahaegelephotography.com
My vision Ben Franklin Bridge II
Philadelphia, PA

Yes, I believe in getting it right in camera,
yadda, yadda, yadda...
But when you are
watering
frozen
numb
chattering
parched
all that yadda, yadda, yadda
is just yadda, yadda, yadda.
You just click the stupid shutter and move on
to the warm fires a short walk away.

A Photo Purist I am not -
at least not all of the time.
For me, it is all about the vision.
 I got my vision
with a stupid click
and some editing in my warm house.


Photos are edited with  the new Topaz Glow and 
I'm still kind of playing with it. 
I love Topaz products. 
They offer 30 day trials. 
Here is a $10 off link 
you can use if you find something you like.





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15 comments:

Tamar SB said...

LOVE the last image of the bridge! These are all really gorgeous, Rebecca!

Kathy said...

You have wonderful vision! I use Topaz Adjust for my favorite photos. I also have Clarity but have never learned to use it.

Linda Kay said...

Glad you got to be warm when you were editing these photos...they rally are beautiful on the screen.

Kmcblackburn said...

I think you just gave the definition of "visionary". I do that too...and it usually costs the Better Half some money...when it comes to the house and my visionary talents :). Love the color on the water in your first shots.

Mersad said...

Those are some really great and magical edits.

Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography

MadSnapper said...

i love all of these, out of the camera, your vision the real vision, what the camera saw or did not see... i don't see anything wrong with playing with photos. i do it all the time and so far the photo police have not called.. LOL...

Tess @ Pro-tography 101 said...

I love to play with photos like that too. The photo police don't need to give their opinion either. It's all art as far as Im concerned.

Wayne said...

I shoot RAW, but I have discovered my Sony does an amazing job with JPG, so now I shoot both.

I love Ben, he is so majestic. Wonderful images.

Nicki said...

Both, what the camera captured and what you visioned are stunning. I love your edits. I like a clean edit on portraits (for the most part), but as for the rest of it, if I can't explore my artistic side, what's the fun in that?

Brilliant!

Sarah Huizenga said...

I am certainly no photo purist either. I love how you altered the photos to what your vision was. That tells a much more interesting story :) Hope you have warmed up now.

Judy said...

I seldom like the really altered images, but yours are the exception!! Just gorgeous!!!

Jill Foley said...

These are fantastic!

photowannabe said...

Love what your mind and eye does to these photos.
Beautiful and full of magical imagination.
Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting. It's so appreciated.

Donna Hopkins said...

Rebecca, I'm so glad you braved the cold and the elements to snap this gorgeous photo! Your different versions of this view show me that there is no one "right" or "good" photo of a scene. I like to use the word "successful" when I describe my efforts. Does this picture successfully convey the emotion, the vision, the sensations I had or have in my mind? Your vision is spectacular and your photographs huge successes!

Tom said...

These are SO COOL! I wish that I knew how to do this. Tom The Backroads Traveller