Some of the Photos I've Taken this Summer

Was up early on one morning and watched the sky turn from dark to dawn. This is the blooming yucca in my front yard against the dawn's pink sky.

 

The photo of the yucca and humming bird was taken on a cloudy day. I used the sliders on the raw image to brighten the photo. Then I used Photoshop to remove the sky. With a copy of the original and a copy of the brighter version I used a mask in Photoshop to bring the two versions together for a I think better photo.

A mustard weed was growing in what was our lawn.  In summer with the water shortage our lawn is dirt. I liked the way it looked. The mustard was still in the sunlight while the background was shade from the house. The photo didn't seem bright enough so was going to photograph it again. The flowers were mostly gone so was stuck with my first photo. I used the sliders on the raw version to brighten the photo while keeping the background as dark as I could. I then used Photoshop to add the text.

 

Most digital cameras will let your take both jpg and raw at the same time. The jpg version just has some editing done by the camera. The photographer can adjust this editing and make very good photos. Still it is great to have the raw file to work with when making major changes to the photo. I always like having both the jpg and the raw. I always feel that while the jpg file is worth while and often good it is still pretty much set in stone. What you see is what you get. I like the freedom of choice the raw file gives me. Art is what you make it.