No matter how much digital photography technology leaps forward, it still matters who is taking the pictures and how well they are edited. The way that colors mix and blend in the Photoshop world can be artistically scrutinized and perfected, but only with the right training and constant practice.
There are a multitude of websites out there that focus on digital photography and technique, and recently I journeyed through all of them I could find to clean up the faded massacre that is my portrait collection. It seems that no matter how much money I invest in high-end cameras, I still lack the artistic flair to capture the essence of the moment, and then touch it up properly before posting it to my portfolio.
As was bound to happen, the victims in each picture each took the opportunity to voice the need for some basic photography training and tips. Amazingly most of what I was lacking in the way of tricks, tips, and education was and is available at very little cost via online tutorials. I tried watching multiple free sessions on the usual video clip sites, but found the training to be too fragmented, and lacking in time spent in critical areas such as touching up portraits and basic editing.
Surprisingly, the sites that truly have the most comprehensive tutorials "mix-and-match" their offerings between free information, and paid seminars and classes online. I experimented with a handful of these for a week and found much joy in sites which assimilate the tutorials in such a way where you can follow along with your own photographs and Photoshop files, making the learning more meaningful and fun.
Courses that offer the gamut of Photoshop and digital photography are easy to find, but whether you are a gifted professional that needs to brush up on your editing skills, or a flawed camera junkie like myself, you would be well served to invest in a program in which most of the ongoing information is free. I don't mind paying a small sum for the classes if the ongoing tutoring doesn't nickel-and-dime me to death.
In my humble opinion there are many professionals and amateurs who spend thousands of dollars on the most sophisticated equipment and software tools, and don't take the time to study up on using them properly. When I look at the bookshelf in my study, there are no less than eleven cameras sitting in their own spot, representing the last twenty years of the video revolution. Am I really maximizing my memories when the end result of our family photo album is a sloppy mess? I think not!
It's a beautiful world, so take some time to digitize it properly! Research some online courses for digital photography, and those blessed enough to be on the other side of your lens will thank you.
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