photoshoppin'

Darn you, Pioneer Woman.

Darn you, Country Doctor's Wife.

Thanks to your blogs, I have learned never to be satisifed with my crummy pictures. No matter how poorly composed, no matter how badly lit, no matter how out of focus, you have taught me that through the magic of Photoshop, I should be able to fix them no matter what. (Plus I have also learned that I will never be as clever and witty as you, never never, but that is a little self-pitying blog entry for a different day.)

Before, I was just resigned to my photographic fate. Now, despite fiddling with backlight and frontlight and fill light and flashlight and stoplight and penlight, I am filled with the disquieting sense that I could be doing much so better, if only I knew how.

Never mind that I am still starting with the same crummy photos. I am convinced that has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Here's this morning's effort: a close-up of the ties on an antique umbrella swift we bought in Vermont this past summer. I love the way that the ties are all different; that's what made me fall in love with this swift. This was clearly a well-used tool, repaired with whatever was at hand as time went on.

Here is the original shot:

And here is my photoshopped version:

Yeah, I don't see much difference, either. But I'll probably continue to flail vainly away at my photographic efforts regardless, on the futile quest to transform them into something different altogether. Not unlike this blog, come to think of it.