The Louvre at Sunset

New Journal 53 – Losing Heart

I received an email on Saturday from someone who follows my work. I got their permission to post it here:

“Hi Jim. been following you and a few others for a while now. I really want to produce stunning photos but every time you or other photographers post their work i realise how far behind I am and i feel like giving up. Have you experienced this before? I dont know what to do.”

I will say that you are certainly not alone. About 6 months ago a well-known HDR photographer wrote a very similar thing on facebook.

In truth, I have experienced this to some degree. I never felt like giving up. Instead, when I saw an incredible image, it spurned me on, and still spurns me on, to learn more.

The key, of course, is how you choose to invest your time. I invest at least 8 hours per week, but often a lot more, watching tutorials and asking myself how I could use what I’ve learned in my imagery. This Wednesday I sat for 5 hours watching videos in the hope of finding a nugget of information that I hadn’t seen before. And in the end I discovered a cool blending process that I twisted to fit exposure blending which works in seconds and is great for night cityscapes.

Without knowledge we will never be able to get the best out of the incredible technology and software we own. However, there’s a psychological barrier that can also inhibit us. We sometimes look at new processes, software and techniques hesitantly because in our mind we’ve already classed it as too complicated. We create a wall to climb which doesn’t need to be there.

When I first got Photoshop I remember thinking ‘what the hell is this thing?’ I couldn’t figure out even the simplest thing. Instead of confronting it head on, I turned it off and decided I might brave it again when I had more time. Two months went by before I finally started teaching myself the basics in PS.

Since then I’ve approached everything head on. If I hear of a new technique or software, I’ll research it and use it until it becomes second nature.

If I had to give you advice I’d say invest a set amount of hours with tutorials, reading composition & colour guides, and shooting each week. When you look at the work of others, instead of saying to yourself ‘Oh, I’m so far behind’, why not ask yourself ‘How did they create this effect?’ ‘What is is about this image that is so compelling?’

By asking productive questions like this, I give my mind the direction in which I want to go, instead of focusing on my negative points. I’d also say be realistic. I’m a long way from where I want to be – that’s something a lot of photographers won’t admit to – they are supreme masters to their followers.

But I’m honest with myself and willing to work hard and wait. These things don’t happen over night. And finally, this is an art – enjoy it!

Today’s Photo – Le Louvre at sunset

I’ve been sitting on this image for almost 6 months. Unsatisfied, it has gone through various stages of processing. In the end, I decided that the two most compelling elements were the colour of the sky and the lights of the pyramid. In the end, I chose to comprise most of the image of these two colours.

I also wanted to contrast the intricate and sharp patterns of the pyramid with softer, darker textures, hence why I added the lens blur in post.

For anyone who missed it yesterday, I published a full free video workflow on my blog yesterday for anyone connected to me on facebook.

Before the Joys of Post-Processing