Editing Photographs Are Complete When...

I'm happy that you're about to read this post, it shows the true spirit of a PhotoHustla. You are here because you want to learn more, you're seeking advice for bettering your photography; you want to know when your photographs are complete while you edit in Photoshop. The two most important words from that very long last sentence are "Your Photography." It is your photography, do what you want with it - without lying to your self.

When you think your done editing your photographs, turn off the music you're listening to while editing, take a five minute break and ask yourself, "Is this the way I want this image to look?" If your answer is yes and you're happy with it then your image is complete, if not, then go back and work at it.
 

The truth is that an image will never really be completed; there will always be room for improvement. Above all of that, it's your image, do what you want with it. If the image is a personal photo it's complete when you're satisfied. If it's a photograph for a client then it's complete when you're client is satisfied / when you think it's finished with a good enough reason, as why to you think it's completed for your client.
 

Before I edit a photograph, before the image is into the computer, before the image is on the LCD of my camera, I have an idea of what I want the image to look like.
 

I'm constantly looking at new images and getting new ideas for images. I get new ideas from listening to music like the ones on my sidebar's Photo-Shoot music playlist, looking in magazines and from taking trips to the mall to see what photographs are shown in the display. I do the aforementioned because doing so excites my creativity level and it makes me want to create more. A new blog to my photography inspiration blog list is: Yimmy's Yayo. It's a collection of awesome photographs found around the internet. I love site because it shares beautiful photo-inspirations.
 

Apply the skills you've picked up from searching the internet for Photoshop skills, apply those Youtube Photoshop video skills and those Photoshop User TV videos; always be practicing new things in Photoshop. Doing so will make you, not only better with the program, but, better at creating better work.
 

Developing your skills takes time and like your photographs it will always be a work in progress. You'll find that things that you like and don't like will change. Sometimes you'll do things and you'll question yourself as to why you did what you did. It's all a learning process. For me - I wrote a guest blog post on Scott Kelby's blog last November, at the time I was killing myself trying to find a technique that would make my images standout from everyone else images. I was trying to please everyone and make everyone else happy instead of doing things the way I really wanted to do it to make me happy. I got stuck in that stage of, "finding your style." I agree that you must have a different look; what I've came to notice is that the style will find you, you won't find it. Your "style" will find you when you continue to do more and more work.
 

It was quite ballsy of me to share the photos I shared on Scott's website. I knew his feelings about noisy images, I'm sure he could tell that they were there purposely, however, I didn't talk to him about why the images were purposely grainy/noisy. I got a feeling that he hates them looking like that; at the end of the day they are my images and it was a good learning experience for me. My goal for that article was to focus on the message, not the images.
 

Photographs are complete within the editing stage when you feel as if they are good enough for you.

Don't be afraid to try new things, don't be afraid whether or not you're right or wrong. The key thing you should be doing as a PhotoHustlaz is trying to better yourself. 


--
Follow Dwayne on Twitter: @DwayneTucker
Become A Fan: Dwayne Tucker's facebook
Follow This Blog: Follow We Have Fun
Email Dwayne: Freelance & Private Comments

2 comments:

Adelle said...

This post was exactly what I needed to hear right now. Funny how things like that happen.

Thanks!

Dwayne Tucker said...

It is funny how thing's like that happen. Keep on hustling and doing what you have to do :) I wish you the best of luck.

-
Dwayne