Don't ditch those dull pics just yet

It's a given that you're going to have images during a session that just didn't turn out the way you wished they would have. If you're a photographer, you probably know what I'm talking about. You take what you think is a great image, everything looks like it should on camera, but when you get home and upload the image to your computer, you see that it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to. Whether the lighting was too dark or light, the picture was out of focus or color was just blah.

When I first started out, I would have deleted these images instantly. I wasn't the best editor back then and I really didn't think I could "fix" an image that didn't turn out the way I thought it should. But as time has gone on, I've learned to experiment with these not-so-good images and with just the right amout of editing, to my surprise, the "bad" photos often turn out to be some of my favorites.

Take the picture below for example. I left it SOC. I shot it yesterday at Tommy and Lauren's wedding. On camera, it looked perfect - the lighting seemed right, it look very clear and crisp and I just couldn't wait to edit it. But when I opened the image in my photo editing software, this is how it looked.....

Yikes!!! I was a a bit disappointed. As you'll notice, the right side of her face is way too dark (and I'm using the right and left as it's viewed in the image). And no matter how much I tried to lighten it up, it just didn't look natural. The natural light from the window to the left of this image highlighted one side of her face, but the other side was hidden from the light source.

So, I put my thinking cap on and started to play around with the image. After about 15 failed attempts with color, I converted it to black and white and right away, I knew I had something. The right side of her face became even darker in B&W and I LOVED the way her one eye popped. So I decided to make the focal point of this image just on left side of her. I also bumped up the exposure and brightness, added some contrast and added a slight sepia tone to it. I also added a texture to give it a more rustic feel. In the end, this was the result....

This is by far one of my favorite images. It took this picture and the whole story of it to a completely different level. To me, this captures the pure innocence of a child.

So the next time you come across an image that may be rather dull, play around with it a bit and see what you come up with. You may be surprised at what you find and you might have just saved one of the best images from being thrown in the recycle bin.

Have a great Sunday!

The invisible man

I saw this man one Sunday evening in St. Joe and I literally threw my car in reverse to capture this picture. Before I got out of my car, I took a moment just to put myself in this situation. As a photographer, I often do that. I purposely lose myself in a moment and let my brain process the surroundings and situations. It gives me a better idea of what kind of picture I'm looking for and what story I'm trying to capture. If you're not a photographer, that probably makes absolutely no sense. But that's how my mind works.

As I watched people pass by him, the reactions on their faces said it all. There were constant stares from some, laughter and jokes from others, and some people walked along as if he wasn't even there. It disgusted me. In my eyes, I saw a man on a chilly spring evening having his perfect moment. And I smiled. Because in this moment, as he stared over his priceless view of a Lake Michigan sunset, he proved to me once again that it's the little things in life that matter and too many of us take that for granted.

I will be the first to admit that I haven't always been the nicest person. I've been through my days of putting others down, and I've been put down. I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of and I surely am not, nor will I ever be, a perfect angel. But as the years have gone by, I've taken every negative comment and every negative situation and turned it into something positive. I've learned to see things in a different perspective. I truly believe being a photographer has helped with this as well because when I'm behind my lens, I create positive outlooks on things others may see as negatives.

Most of us will never know what it's like to walk in this man's shoes. And instead of taking a step back and looking at the big picture, we're quick to judge and instantly feel as if he is nothing, when that is everything but the truth.

This man was born just like every one of us. He had a mother and he had a father. We'll never know if they are still around or if he ever had the chance to know them. He might have had toys, Christmas with family, his 7th Birthday party with cake, balloons, family and friends. Or he may not have had any of that. He probably went to elementary school, has a favorite movie, has fears and has dreams. He may have loved someone at some point in his life, or he may never know what love really feels like. He wanted to be somebody, but somewhere along the way, something happened. And now, this is where he is.

He doesn't have the luxury of sleeping in big beds with feathertop comforters and fluffy pillows. He doesn't know what it feels like to fall asleep with a loved one wrapped in his arms. And his alarm clock isn't an annoying loud buzzer. His alarm clock is reality.

The next time you think about judging him, or someone in his situation, think about what it's like on the other side. Because everything we take for granted, including that annoying alarm clock which wakes us up for the job we are fortunate to have, is everything he probably dreams about every day of his life.

To this day, I'm still kicking myself in the rear for not approaching this man. Even if it was just to say "hello" because that little word is probably something he doesn't hear a lot. I'll never know anything about this man, and I wish I did. He deserves to be heard and he deserves to know that there is someone out there who, even just for a minute, took the time to recognize his existence. But instead, he remains the invisible man.

Even though words were left unsaid, I drove away that evening feeling good about what I did. I documented a moment in his life that will probably never be captured again. And little does he know, he had a big impact on me.

How I spend my weekends

During the spring, summer and fall months, this is me. Full concentration mode, face buried in my computer screen and completely oblivious to what's going on around me (obviously).

I'm not always bumming it on the couch doing my editing, but on this Sunday afternoon, I was. I needed to step away from the upright position of my desk for a bit and get fully relaxed.

If you don't see me much on the weekends during the warmer months, this will explain why!

Happy Friday :)