FAQ: Sometimes it just doesn’t work. And that’s okay!
I’ve received a few questions relating to whether or not you can fix a photo later with editing. The answer is abstractly and overall ‘yes’ but my recommendation is to try and avoid it.
It takes a lot of work to process a photo, let alone a “bad” one. Take for example these… I’m still not done, and don’t know if I will ever be. But like I said here, while these may not be smooth from a photographic perspective, they certainly satisfy my motherly requirements in a photo and that, my friends, is what truly matters and what we’re after here, right?
Manual | f/4.5 @ 1/1000, ISO 100 | SOOC
Many factors working against us here:
The background: I had to place her here to get the rocks and the ocean in, as well as to avoid the swell of tourists milling around the lighthouse (not pictured).
The weather: It was cold and windy, which meant we didn’t have much time to get a few of these snaps before she got fed up. It’s a fine line between “stage mum”-esque behaviour and doing what is best for the subject!
The sun: Sometimes you just can’t control when you arrive someplace. In our case here in Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, it was a stop during a day trip and hard to schedule. We happened to get there during a high sun around lunch time. If I placed Isla with the sun behind me/facing her, it was so harsh she squinted. If I placed her in front of the sun, my exposure settings meant I lost much of the background detail I wanted. There was minimal open shade, and where there was, it was too dangerous to carry this quick session out. I cut my losses and opted for half/half, favouring the needs of the background. This meant, unfortunately, strong shadows cast on her face.
Time: She wanted to crawl and explore. Fair enough! I had 30 seconds to experiment with my settings before getting this shot. With a little more time, I might have sorted a different equation. With a lot more equipment, I would have had a diffuser for the light/shadows, a light meter to guarantee the settings, a tripod to free up my hands, and maybe a really big sale at the souvenir shop to distract the visitors off the cliff temporarily ;)
Settings same as above.
This photo was quickly edited in Photoshop, but I plan to have at it again when I get home. I bumped up the exposure on her face and deepened the colours with the soft light overlay, but there is more I could do, such as fix the strong yellow hues.
The point remains again yes, a photo can be ‘fixed’ but it’s better if it’s just ‘enhanced.’ Well, it’s a lot less work, anyway! Editing is fun, and we’ve only just touched on a few quick tips, but mastering the full functions of your camera will take you leaps and bounds towards securing the best shots. Not every shot is going to be perfect, and that’s okay. But if it still makes you happy to look at, who cares if it needs fixed or not?!
xo, Tamara
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