Hey all, I’m pretty new to photography and I’m struggling with how to approach editing in post.
I think I have a decent little portfolio so far, including a few definite favorites, but I keep running into photos like these where I don’t really know what direction to take them. The colors are already okay, and I don’t think the shots are necessarily bad, but I also don’t feel like they’re strong enough to print as-is. I’m trying to figure out what would make them feel more finished or intentional. (these are all unedited)
For context, I’ve been shooting mostly manual since I got the camera. I figured if I leaned too heavily on automatic settings, I’d get stuck there and not really learn exposure.
For starters:
- I’m using Darktable. I’m still in the free-ish hobby phase.
- Camera: Canon EOS R50 Mk2
- Lenses:
- Canon 18–45mm kit lens. I like it a lot because it’s versatile, but it doesn’t always give me the reach I want.
- Canon EF 75–300mm. I regret to say I kind of hate it. The zoom is nice, but a lot of the photos come out blurry, and I have a hard time stabilizing my aim with it.
Photo 1: 0.3", 21mm, f/4.5, ISO 250
I’m having a hard time exposing the photo enough to make the bridge visible. I’ve tried using parametric masks, but they tend to make the image look choppy.
Photo 2: 1/25, 22mm, f/5.0, ISO 100
I love the subject of this one. “It’s not a boulder, it’s a rock.” I think it stands out, but when I try to expose just the rock, it ends up looking too exaggerated. I’ve also tried vignetting, but it feels too subtle.
Photo 3: 3.2", 18mm, f/22, ISO 100
This one almost looks too finished to me, if that makes sense. I also have some floaties/spots that I can’t remove no matter how hard I try.
Photo 4: 1/320, 18mm, f/10, ISO 3200
I tried color-shifting it with a fake infrared-style filter I made, but it still doesn’t really pop. I feel like this was a good idea in theory, but I can’t make it interesting in practice.
Photo 5: 1/250, 300mm, f/10, ISO 2000
They’re such good bois, aren’t they?!?! They deserve to look good. I wanted to make them pop, but I think the composition might just be off. Is this one worth trying to save?
Photo 6: 1/250, 240mm, f/14, ISO 800
This one quite literally only looks good as an over-contrasted black and white.
I’d love advice on how you’d approach edits like these. How do you decide whether a photo is worth saving, and how do you figure out what direction to take it in when the image is “almost there” but not quite working?