Learning and Applying

finally learning how to edit in lightroom. THESE PHOTOS ARE MY FIRST ATTEMPTs AT COLOR GRADING AND STYLIZATION.

I was out for a walk the other day and I spotted a really cool looking red car. I couldn't resist getting a few shots. Automotive photography seems to be really popular on social media so I've come across it a lot while admiring other people's work. A great thing about it, is that automotive photographers are also extremely active on social media. Not only is it easy to find really great composition tutorials, they often also explain their editing process as well. Last week I added color grading to my list of things to learn while shooting squirrels in my backyard so maybe these car photos could be a great place to start.

I sorted through my saved photos and created a small set of photos I figured could be even better with some stylization. I wasn't sure where to begin so I started googling. "Car lightroom editing" gave me a long list of tutorials so I found the first one I liked and got started. Even by just following step by step instructions I learned a lot about editing. Color temperature, clarity, light color temperature, highlights, and shadows. I finally started to understand how to apply these adjustments with intent. I also used masking for the first time and oh man is it a game changer. Making changes to every aspect of the photo can get a very simple and usually workable edit, but masking allows me to go into very specific parts of a photo and change just that part. I can make a window clearer, I can remove an element that I think distracts from the subject, I can artifically add or remove light. Bascially, I can add my own artistic flair.

Part of the tutorial had me tweaking specific colors within the image to give the photo a compeletly different vibe. In a techincal sense, I understand what the sliders and values are doing, but I definitely need more practice to be able to create something using these techniques from an idea in my head. So far these 5 images are my only attempts at artistic stylization of my photos and honestly I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Making a photo of a man waiting for the train seem more grim and emotional, making the fine details of a car really pop, making a the night life around a city girl seem more vibrant. I feel like using these new editing techniques, I'm able to emphasize the subjects and tell better stories with my photos.

I love the feeling of telling a good story with my art.