One of the things we hear time and time again is “Shoot it right in camera and you won’t need Photoshop” If you didn’t know, this is a very, very old saying that came out when everyone went digital. This saying came from the fact that photographers and our egos didn’t want anyone thinking some stupid program could do anything to enhance our work. That amazing photos were created in the camera and that was the end of it.

Today we know this to be an old theory that isn’t true.

Sure, you should always frame, expose and do your best to get it right in camera, but the fact of the matter is you need a third party image editing program to finish the vision. Yes, I said it, you need Photoshop, Lightroom, Paintshop Pro, GIMP or any other program to FINISH your vision. Photoshop or any of it’s competitors, are all TOOLS to assist you in completing your vision. I agree that it shouldn’t be used as a crutch as that will help you to become lazy or teach you bad habits, but when used properly, it’s just as important as your camera. There are those out there that are cringing and disagreeing with me, yet they look to Ansel Adams as a photographic G*D. Do you really think Ansel Adams didn’t use dodging and burning techniques on his photos? If you said no, I’ll give you a chance to retract the statement because he did! Dodging and burning on the negative strip is as old as photography itself. The fact of the matter is for as good as sensors are today, they need help getting the extra push. Our images need a small push to make it presentable. What is presentable? That’s totally up to the photographer and his intended purpose. Some people like to do little post processing, others like to get crazy. I like to “enhance” my photos.

Here’s a before and after: