The Power of Post Processing

I haven't been able to do anymore Funko Foto Shoots because the weather has been uncooperative the last few days. Instead, let's look at what post processing can do! I went through my catalog to pick out pictures ranging from completely busted to just kind of boring and challenged myself to make them at least sort of interesting. Tell me how I did!

The first BEFORE picture is a Cooper's Hawk I saw while out on a photowalk about a week ago. I was learning a new camera and had my ISO set to 5000... in broad daylight. Needless to say, every shot that day was exposed WAY to the right.

And here's the AFTER. I have a previous post with more shots of this beauty. But, in keeping with the spirit of this post - I did do a re-edit. The first edit left a ton of noise that I've since learned how to remove.

This BEFORE had the opposite problem of the last. I shot it a little darker than I wanted. Can't blame this one on learning the camera, though. I just had bad time management and lost track of time on the walk, so I didn't have much light left when I got here.

For this AFTER, I wanted to go for a more artistic edit. I wanted to really bring out the reds in the wheel and basket and warm the whole picture up a bit. Just a touch of grain and some vignette (to accentuate the sunset) and our dark, boring bike shot becomes an artistic, boring bike shot!

This BEFORE is probably the least scuffed. I had just got the lens (a 100mm macro) and went to my local botanical gardens to take pictures of flowers. In case you don't know, it's required by law to take pictures of flowers whenever you get a macro lens. I know. It's not fair. I honestly don't think this one is bad for a raw image.

I had the most fun with this AFTER (probably because I didn't have to fix a bunch of screwed up camera settings). I let the color profile set the mood here once I saw how it added an aged or antique feel. Most of this edit was just tweaking the tone and hues just slightly to make them match the flowers.

The last BEFORE is this boring bench in the middle of the desert. This was on a stop on my way to where I was planning to shoot that day. Not only was this in the middle of day, but this place was COMPLETELY DEVOID OF LIFE. Well, except for me and one other hiker that decided to go out this far on the trail. Needless to say, I have tons of pictures of this dang bench. I walked too far in the blazing sun to leave without taking a picture.

(There's actually a hidden edit in this shot since I forgot to export the raw file before I started post processing. Bonus points to anyone who spots it!)

I wanted to get more heavy-handed with this AFTER. I like the composition with the bench on the other side better. I also added a subtle column of light to really bring out that bench. The dead grass didn't hit quite right, so I added a little color calibration to make it look a little less dead. This is more over-edited than I'd normally do, but I don't hate it.

What do you think? It's crazy how much control you have even after you get the shot, isn't it? If the weather stays crappy, I may end up making this a series of posts.