the next day and thought. “Why are the colors so muted? The sunset itself is so insignificant! I’m ready to delete the whole image!” Then maybe you might see a pro’s shot of the very same sunset that blows you away!
What happened? It’s all about knowing how to use your camera to make it capture (record) the image you visualized. That’s where we’ll be going, and that is what is so captivating about photography: you will continuously learn to tell your stories by writing with light with increasing effectiveness.
» Processing your images in Lightroom
The next stage is processing those images. This is where you play the music that you captured in the last stage. In our modern world this is mostly done digitally, so we will focus on the use of Adobe LightRoom, which I highly recommend as your processing platform.
Remember, the process of visualization is at the center of and carries through each stage in the cycle of photography: What you first visualized and then captured with your camera now needs to fully come to life as your final image. This is where you learn to interpret your image and have it express what you saw and felt and what you want your viewer to feel when you share it in the next stage.
When I was 12, my teacher, who happened to be a photographer, asked if I wanted to see how negatives were developed and printed. I jumped at the chance, but really had no idea of the magic I was about to experience. He showed me how to develop a roll of film. That was exciting, but it wasn’t until it was dried and he put a strip in the enlarger that I began to realize that this was going to be a passion. I stood by in amazement as I watched him expose the paper with the enlarger and then place the paper in the developing tray. Moving it gently back and forth, with only faint yellow light to see by in the darkroom, I could gradually perceive an image forming on the paper, stronger and stronger as the seconds ticked by. Then there it was, fully formed, so he placed it briefly in the “stop bath” to do just that – stop the development. Then into the fixer bath, so it would remain fixed in the process and not fade in the light. And finally a long rinse in water to wash out all the chemicals, which completed the whole development cycle.
Once I had experienced this magic, I was hooked! It wasn’t long before I had convinced my parents to allow me to convert the laundry room/shop to do triple duty as a darkroom. Now the magic was complete because I was fully in control of the process!
When all this came together for me and I compared my new final prints that I had made myself to the washed-out, muddy, tiny prints that the drugstore had previously provided me, I never looked back. I was now the master of my own ship as a photographer, and it didn’t matter if I hit the rocks: I learned from every failure, and my successes as a photographer far outstripped the failures.
When I learned to process my images and turn them into prints, I became a “Photographer” with a capital P!
Although the process is far easier in the digital darkroom (and believe me, I don’t miss breathing chemicals and getting them on my skin), the darkroom process is mimicked in the process of creation using Photoshop and LightRoom.
Here’s more good news: It’s far easier to become skilled at LightRoom than it ever was to work in a darkroom. Also, once you work out the settings for your “development” they remain that way until you change them, making the process so much easier.
“But Marc, what about all those sliders, panels, and menus? How will I ever learn all that?!” Hold on, just as I told you that there are only about five key control points for a camera that you need to master, there are a limited number for processing that you need to understand and be able to control.
The number of these comes to about a dozen or so, but taking it step by step, you’ll get there with practice so that you can develop images that you’re really happy with, and hopefully love!
Now you’re ready for the final stage of sharing your photographs. The key point is that it’s not enough for you to be in love with your own photographs, you need to share them and show the world what you have created!
The process of visualization guides your sharing as well: when you first had the idea for your image, what did you intend to do with it at the end of the cycle? You might have thought it would make a cool post for Instagram or Facebook, or perhaps during the processing stage you realized it would make a great print for your wall.
Now you’re going to decide where and how to share it. It’s easy to share to social media using Lightroom. This is made even easier because you can sync the desktop version of the software with your smartphone, which makes it really simple to post your images.
I also want you to make your best images into prints, in keeping with the long heritage of photography. There is something so satisfying about having the photographs you have envisioned printed and in your hands. You’ll never have the same feeling from looking at them on a computer screen. Then take the ones you really love and have them framed, or frame them yourself, and hang them well, sharing your work in your environment. It fully completes the cycle of photography when others view your work and experience an emotional impact from it.
Before you get discouraged by now having yet another whole new set of skills to learn to make professional prints, let me tell you we’re not going there. I use a lab to make these prints. It’s far easier and more cost-effective to send photos to a lab to get high-quality prints without the hassle and expense of setting up your own printing. Some will argue with me on this point, and those who do can certainly go ahead and make their own prints. But for most of us, it simply doesn’t make sense. I’ll give you some options for working with your lab in a hands-on way when we get to that chapter.
I feel the same way about framing. I used to do it myself, but for many years now I have teamed up with a professional framer to help me carry out this final stage of visualization of my image. We’ll talk about these options as well later on.
What if you want to get your work into shows, or into stores? Yes, I’ll give you some easy advice on how to get started. You may well find that you want to go professional and make photography your career or a second job. Once you have mastered the above steps, you can go in that direction.
CRASH COURSE/SUMMARY
1. Photography is writing with light to tell a story, following a natural cycle of five stages.
2. It begins with you and your ability to visualize the image that you want to capture, and that process will guide you through all the other steps.
3. Closely study others’ work to build a visual collection in your mind.
4. Your next step is to learn the key controls of your camera and other equipment.
5. Once you master these points you will learn to capture the image you love.
6. You’ll then be ready to process that image digitally, concentrating on the basics so you can get right to work in your “Digital Darkroom.”
7. Finally, you’ll learn about how to share your work in many ways.
Think of moving
