Weekend Shorts - Getting Great Images "Right Out of the Can"

Photoshop World is the next big show to put on your calendar! Sign up by March 15 to save money and get the early bird registration!

by Skip Cohen

At  PhotoShop World a couple of years ago, I overheard a conversation between two young photographers arguing over an image of David Ziser's that was on display in his booth.  It was a classic portrait of a bride and they were arguing over which PhotoShop tool he used to drop in the highlight on her hair!  I barged into the conversation, knowing full well David's incredible understanding of lighting.  I also knew the image was created in the camera, NOT in the computer.  The image David created looked almost that good right out of the can! He had used Photoshop to enhance the image, not create it.

Now take it one step further - how incredible could your images be if you started with a great shot and then used your expertise in Photoshop to enhance the image, rather than clean it up? I'm a huge fan of getting your skill set as good as it can be as a photographer and then making sure you understand how to give it even more impact with all the creative tools you've got.

Every minute you waste at the computer cleaning up your mistakes is a minute you could have been working on other aspects of your business, like your marketing efforts.  How much time are you spending at your computer working on  images that could have been captured better with the click of the shutter instead of the click of your mouse?