I have been experimenting with photoshop technique for mirroring images. The image here is the first one I have created. I also applied what is know as a digital sandwich to give it a bit of punch. Tony Sweet’s blog (http://web.me.com/tonysweetphoto/tonysweet_blog/Mirroring_1.html) has a video right now that shows the steps involved in mirroring. It is quite easy. Here is another one. Notice the interesting patterns in the middle.
As you probably have noticed I have used HDR on several occasions now. I am slowing getting a sense of when to use HDR and when not to. Besides the obvious high contrast situation where the sky in a landscape would be blow out without some intervention – split ND filter, double processed RAW or multiple manually merged images – HDR when processed with Photomatrix has other advantages. First, if there is a lot of detail in a subject, the detail enhancer can really bring 
that out. For example, the tractor picture I published in an earlier blog. Or the image included here. As you can see there is a lot of stuff that grows on the trees in Oregon besides leaves. Generally I have not found straight photography does it justice, but HDR brings it out nicely. When shooting interiors, HDR is good for keeping hot spots from burring out – sun on a rug as shown in the second image. Finally HDR is good when you have an image that includes both interior and exterior subject material as seen in my earlier blog post on covered bridges.
them with some additional post processing and/or a different treatment all together. The first example shows a color version of a storm rolling in at Glacier. It is pretty much in its RAW form with only standard settings. Clearly I exposed this image for the bright highlight in the sky. After some processing in Lightroom (burning in the sky highlight and dodging the mountain plus sepia toning) the image ended up feeling much more powerful and conveys the ominous feeling I felt at the time. There are several more images from Glacier I will be revisiting. They should be showing up on my website down the road.
Probably the biggest question we all struggle with when contemplating a career in photography is, “Am I good enough?”. While this question is important and we should all be working to improve our work, both technically and creatively, the bigger question is whether we have the gumption to get out there and market our work. As I have been taking classes with different photographers I have been critiquing there work, sales channels and markets. While some photographers work is unique and spectacular other’s work is just solid, but they all seem to be able to make a living. How good a living I can’t know. While some skill level must be attained, the key is getting out there and trying to sell your work. This is what I must do in the coming months. My success or lack of it will in the end answer the initial question, “Am I good enough?”.
