Photography is like magic. This photo for instance:
ISO 400 4.3mm 1/30 f/2.7
Looks like a nice peaceful and quiet spot right? That’s exactly why I took the shot, because it stood out in stark contrast from the surrounding scene, a bustling Christmas Market at Ely Cathedral. But finding this little gem of a scene was just the beginning. The rest of the magic is in the editing. Here is the original file:
ISO 400 4.3mm 1/30 f/2.7
You can see now that I did some edits that have a pretty big impact on the final file. It wasn’t the first thing I did, but one of the edits that I think helped a lot was to use the healing brush tool in Photoshop to remove the mark on the column and some of the smudges on the pillar candle. I could have removed all the imperfections on the candle but chose not to because the marks do remind the viewer that this is a spot that is used by many people. I also warmed the temperature of the photo in Lightroom and applied a vignette to keep your eye in the frame. A version of the final is in my Picfair portfolio.
After taking my photo, I stayed here for a few minutes before heading back to the crowds and stalls of the market. Do you think photography is magical? What do you think of the moment I have created here? I hope you found it peaceful and relaxing, as that was my intent. Feel free to leave a comment below.
Cheers!
Photography Journal Blog 