Sometimes a photo doesn't quite look the way things did in the field, for whatever reason.  Back lighting, glare, or even operator error (could be?). Or an image comes out a bit flat. There are so many toys that one can use to tweak an image to show what you really saw, or what you want to show the world- from filters and flashes to post-production toys.  In the world of post-production, I have learned much (and have much yet to learn) from local photographer, instructor and author Mark Fitzgerald, whose book Zen of Post Production is a great read.  I've enjoyed several of his classes on how to use Adobe Lightroom for everything from batch processing and key word tagging for handling masses of photos to specific detail work in photo editing. For any of you Portland-local folks, he teaches at Newspace Center for Photography.  

Recently, I've also discovered, and appreciated a new tool for use within the Adobe Lightroom environment - from Sleeklens. They have a range of presets and brushes for various types of photographs (landscapes, portraits, etc.) which make editing more easy, particularly for folks like me who are not power Lightroom users.  (I wish I was taking more photos and doing this stuff daily, but I'm not.)  Having some preset edits to work with makes photo post-production less overwhelming for me. 

Here's an example of a before and after from one of my favorite fall photos - one of my local downtown parks, the South Park Blocks in downtown Portland.

The day I took this photo was alive with color, but with the direct sun (a treat in Portland!), some of the colors were washed out in my photo.  Using Lightroom, with some of the Sleeklens presets, I was able to make the image look more like the scene I was seeing.  It makes me long for the glory days of fall!  I'm having fun with this new toy this holiday season.  

My new years wish for you - may you all find some new toys that keep you and your passion alive in the coming year.