Today, I took another photo class with the very skilled Andrew Koehler of Mac Nurse in Vermont. He is a tech genius who showed me how to navigate my new photo program, Photomator, designed to work with Apple editing systems and handle large-frame and mirrorless cameras. I’ve learned a lot. I got far with this software myself, but Andrew is helping me learn programs and ways of highlighting specific photograph parts.

It is tricky sometimes. We worked together for 90 minutes, and he fried my brains.

People get confused when I talk about enhancement; it isn’t about altering the picture; it’s more about making sure that what is in the picture can be seen.

In the feature photo above, I realized that the vivid after and darkening skies should be a black and white photograph. I made almost no changes to that picture other than to make it black-and-white. That’s what I call a non-invasive enhancement.

The moment’s drama and emotion are much enhanced in black and white. Black and white is for the soul; color is for the beauty.

One messenger complained that the colors in the marsh I’ve been taking were made to look like Spring. I didn’t change them at all, that’s what they look like, especially in late Fall. (Iphone 15 Photo).

I do best when learning to work with someone young and working close to the new tech revolution. I’m lucky; all my teachers have been kind, patient, and wise. I mean to get better every year. My teachers know so much more than I do, it’s humbling.

They are not bothered or deterred by my Dyslexia and never treat me as if I were being stupid, even when I am.

The picture above was taken mid-afternoon when the sun struggled to be seen. I used Photomator to highlight the blue in the upper left-hand corner. It was visible to me but obscured by clouds. I also brought out the yellow sun, an excellent addition to an already beautiful landscape. (Iphone Photo) The sky had a lot of emotion today.

In this photo, Andrew taught me how to highlight the heavy snow coming down across the field. I whitened it a bit. The colors on the field were as I saw them and as they are. They kept showing up through the snow. (Leica photo). The tree balances the photo.

I closed with a shot through the front door of Zip, waiting for me and our afternoon meeting. I didn’t need to do a thing to the photo. The Leica is great at shooting through glass.

It was a good lesson, another step towards becoming a better photographer. There is a technical aspect to photography that I always ignored. I realized a couple of years ago that I needed to learn more about how a camera works. I took some classes with the geniuses at the Leike Academy and am not taking more from Andrew. I’ll probably go back to the Leike Academy people this winter.

I  want to keep learning; I want to get better. I’m pleased with my progress; I’m eager to learn more.

I took this photo of Zip standing up to Fate, but I was bothered by the fact that I couldn’t see her eyes, they must have been closed. I added them very minutely in the Photomator program to give some sense of his look. Nothing else needed to be changed. Leica photo.

 

 

I took this portrait the other day with my new Leica Macro 60 mm lens. Maria looked unusually serious; she sometimes gets this way when the sheep or donkeys lunge at the hay she brings into the pasture. I did work on this photo so minor it is hardly recognizable.

I softened the background a bit so her face would stand out. Every I take a picture of Maria, her look is different. She is the woman of a thousand faces, and I intend to get to each one.

I just called Maria, who is on her way to belly dancing class, to tell her how great she is and how much I admire her courage, creativity, and determination. We traded mushy words with one another, and once I put up my color and light photos, I headed to the living room to read a novel, sit in silence, and do some thinking.

Thanks to all of you for your support, tolerance, and recovery. It’s been a wild trip, no?