Room to Play

Playing with my camera and experimenting with old lenses, different techniques, and editing tools are things I consider fun and relaxing.

This September, my goal has been to do more of that—to revisit older images, try out lenses that usually sit on my shelf, look at what's around me in a different light (sometimes literally), and play with some of the new editing tools available in Photoshop and Lightroom.

Wow, when I think of the hours I used to spend cleaning up a background or removing a distraction from an image! I'm grateful for the advances in technology that have made those tools easier, faster, and better than they were in the past.

I don't see these new tools as a threat to my photography. I see them as tools that can give me some of that time back while also opening up new possibilities for creativity. Time I can spend behind my camera. Time to really see the world around me without being rushed. And inspiration to explore how the images I make can speak to someone else.

And fall seems like a perfect time for that.

I love the cooler days, the changing colors, the sounds, and the slightly slower pace. Spending more time behind the camera now also gives me ideas and images to revisit during the colder months when I'm not outside as much.

Some photographers don't enjoy the editing process, but I always have. To me, it's a little like a baker mixing up the batter for a cake. Once the batter is made, there are still so many decisions to make. Will the finished cake be simple and understated or colorful and decorated? Will it be a large cake meant to make a statement or something smaller and more subtle?

There isn't just one answer.

Photography feels much the same to me. When I experiment, I begin to discover what I like, what catches my eye, and what I hope an image might say or cause someone to reflect on.

And little by little, the vision comes to life.

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Room To Play

Room to Play

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