If “what do I want to say” is the question I ask myself when I put the camera to my eye, then “how do I want this image to feel” is the question I ask myself when I go to post-process.
In last weekend’s workshop, David talked a lot about making very intentional decisions at the time of capture to convey what we want to say. But we also talked about the role of post-processing and how he uses it. He shared some examples of images he’d edited and said, “Did it look exactly like that when I captured it? No. But this is how it felt to me.” Warm or cool, dreamy or contrasty, all of these are choices we have in our post-processing to further the expression of the image.
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This coastal scene from earlier in the summer is an example, edited early last week to prep for an exhibition submission. Was the light this pink on the evening I captured it? No. But the processing captures the emotion of the moment for me. The connection of mother and child is there in the bicycles and the figures in the background, and the warm feeling of that connection is in the tones.
This conversation comes at a time when I’ve already been thinking about my creative process and the relationship I have with post-processing. On my recent trip to England I realized how incredibly important post-processing had become to me as part of creating images. I didn’t quite know how important until I was without Lightroom, my primary tool for editing. Sure, I could make very, very basic adjustments, but it wasn’t enough. (Not to mention any edits were painfully slow in the netbook I had borrowed.) I felt, literally, like my hands were tied. I could see where I wanted to tweak highlights and shadows, maybe shift the white balance a bit. I could see where I wanted the images to end up. And I couldn’t get there. I couldn’t make the images say what I wanted them to say, feel how I wanted them to feel, without this step of the process.
The RAW files my camera captured have become just that… raw material. Incredibly important raw material — you can’t create a final image you love without the composition and exposure and choices at the time of capture spot on — but raw material nonetheless. Not finished. Not yet conveying what I want them to convey, feeling how I want them to feel. Not yet ready to share with the world.
This was an incredibly important realization for me to make. It’s a dramatic shift from where I used to be; where I thought I was. I’ve been learning photography for 12+ years but I’ve only used Lightroom for 1 year. I had no idea how integral it had become to my process. But because I now better understand my process, I can more intentionally express myself through my images. I can more intentionally tailor what I do to get the end result I want. I don’t have to follow someone else’s process or choices, I can stand up and say, “This is who I am and how I work as an artist.”
How I work right now, at least. It will change. A month from now or a year from now I’ll have some new realization. But right now…
This is who I am and how I work as an artist.
Yeah, that feels good.
How about you? Do you understand your process, and how it helps you create work that expresses yourself? Let’s discuss here in the comments.
I too use Lightroom almost exclusively but am not yet completely on top of all the things I can do in it. I very rarely post a picture that hasn’t had some sort of post-processing carried out on it and I worry that I should be getting finished images straight from camera. I’m not a good enough photographer to be able to do that though and I guess I feel a little guilty that I always have to tweak. It’s difficult to admit to yourself that you need to practice, practice, practice and probably important to recognize that some of the best photographers most likely took years to perfect their craft. In these days of instant gratification it’s not easy to accept these truths.
I think whether or not you “should be getting finished images straight from the camera” depends on your personal goals and values around your photographs. It’s an individual choice. Certainly the closer we are to achieving our vision in camera, the less time in post-processing. Watching David share some examples from RAW file to finished, he is definitely tweaking but it doesn’t take him a lot of time, because he’s done the work to get a great capture in the camera.
Kat, I love those two questions you put out there in the beginning…what do I want to say and how do I want this image to feel. So often I see something and photograph it because it says something to me…never do I think of what I want to say with an image prior to taking it.
Those two questions will now become part of my ‘process’….though it may take me a while to really incorporate them.
This being an artist is truly a process, isn’t it? A year ago, having finished your class I was in a different place than when it began, artistically speaking. Today, my artistic journey has continued to evolve and grow…and who knows where it will go once I really think about “what do I want to say…”
I’m thankful that artists like you have paved the way, sharing what you have learned, allowing us to see the growth and possibilities.
I think it does take a shift to start to answer “What do I want to say” before capture, but I bet you are doing this already. I also think of it as asking, “What caught my eye here? What made me stop and want to take a photo?” It could be as simple as a color combination or a texture contrast. As soon as that “something” is a conscious thought in my head, I can make better choices in creating the image that says what I wanted it to say. Don’t set the expectation that you will create images with a deep philosophical meaning by asking the question, just get more conscious about what you are trying to capture as a first step when you put your camera to your eye.
Thank you so much for sticking around to grow with me, sharing the journey.
I love the focus on how an image feels – I am really starting to focus on that more and more both in taking photos and then how I process them.
It’s rare for me to not do anything at all to a photo and actually I’m OK with that. I guess I tend to focus on composition primarily in taking the shot and then play a bit with processing to get the overall look and feel right (for me that is!). I have found lately that although I’m trying to take more care with my composition and the ‘what am I trying to say’ (a lot of this came about from your workshop) this doesn’t necessarily mean less processing – what it does mean for me is that I am clearer about what I want to do in post processing, which is ultimately a huge time saver and, I hope, brings a stronger image. It’s taken me ages to get here and it’s still very much a work in process but isn’t that always the way with photography and art in general?!
Great post and really interesting to read other’s views and processes too.
I love this statement Becs: “I am clearer about what I want to do in post processing.” YES! What an amazing statement. Carrying the thought of what you want to say from image capture through post processing will definitely create a stronger image, allowing you to say what you want to say. It’s incredibly satisfying, isn’t it?
And yeah, we’re all a work in progress, aren’t we? In photography, art, life… It’s so good to recognize that. It lets us enjoy the moment and where we are right now, instead of believing we have to arrive somewhere else to “achieve” happiness.
As you know, post-processing has always been an integral part of my photographic process – I have always seen the image as the raw material.
Intutively, I have used post-processing to create the emotional feel of the end product. But I like the simple, yet powerful, way you have distilled this into two questions – what do I want to say? and how do I want this image to feel?
As always, I appreciate what you share here about your own growth.
Thanks Brenda! I think there is something powerful about owning your process, the way you clearly do. It comes through in the execution of your work!