Re-interpretation

“In my mind’s eye, I visualize how a particular… sight and feeling will appear on a print. If it excites me, there is a good chance it will make a good photograph. It is an intuitive sense, an ability that comes from a lot of practice.” – Ansel Adams

I am in the process of curating images for a project. I have been revisiting some of the edited images taken during the last two years. In doing so, I gain some new insight into those edited images, and I feel very differently about some of my edits this time around. Time and distance provide me with the needed objectivity with regards to my work. I feel the need to re-edit some of images I already worked on. Not only has my perception changed, my improvement in post processing skills also makes me feel there is still room to push when it comes to my edits. I have more confidence in my skills set to advance my vision further. As I reflect on this new insight to my work, I see it as a welcome sign for my continual growth as a photographer.

From my experience, the post processing part of photography is just as significant a component as the moment I push the shutter. I see my post processing skill as an integral part of my photography. With my commitment in learning to use the different digital photography processing software, I notice my post processing skills have an impact on my field work. While I am out in the field photographing, I will make a quick decision in my mind as to what material will work well with post processing. If I find a problem with a certain composition while I am composing, my processing experience enables me to decide if the issue is something I can resolve when I work on the file afterwards, if it is not, then I will choose not to take the image despite how convincing the scene may look.

My post processing experience has reminded me of one of Ansel Adams’s most famous images “Moonrise Over Hernandez”. There are many accounts of him reinterpreting the negative over the years, and the results vary significantly. Not only is the negative a challenging one to print. Adams was not satisfied his earlier efforts conveyed the drama he remembered while taking the photo. I also believe as Adams’s darkroom skills continued to improve, he felt compelled to continue to experiment and to test how far he could push the negative. Without diligently acquiring and refining his darkroom skills over the years, I doubt Adams would have the confidence to continue to challenge himself. This speaks to me the importance of continually pushing myself with regards to my processing skills. To push the shutter button is only the first step, it is another equally important step to harness the potential of my digital files by equipping myself with post processing knowledge.

While we hear the constant argument about distorting the reality when we manipulate our images digitally, the reality is a two-dimensional photograph is never a true representation of our three-dimensional reality. The moment we decide what camera equipment, as simple as to which focal length lens to use, we already make the decision what viewpoint we wish to impose on our capture. Also, by converting color images to black and white images, we decide to make an abstraction to the reality we normally see in color. I feel photography is as much a medium of abstraction as any other art forms, although many may disagree.

My continual growth as a photographer has taught me there are multiple components to learn and master. They all require the same amount of effort, and it will be a lifelong process.