14,830

14,830

Since I bought my first DSLR in May 2008, I’ve taken 14,830 photos.  I read somewhere once that you need to get the first 10,000 shots out of the way before you really start developing your own voice.  I don’t know that I agree with that, but I do know that I am “seeing” more and “spraying and praying” less.  I do know that I’m becoming more critical of my own work.  I do know that the more I shoot, the more I want to go out and shoot, and the more I want to learn.

I’ve shared my thoughts about the “evils of excessively manipulating images” previously and my opinion hasn’t changed much since then.  What has changed is my understanding – and opinion of – the digital darkroom.  After much reading, contemplation, internal dialogue, I decided to switch from using Apple Aperture to occasionally “touch up” photos to using Adobe Lightroom to “develop” my photos in the “digital darkroom.”  I decided to start shooting photos in RAW file format, giving me the capability to do more with them in post processing.  Although my experience with Aperture was positive, making the switch to Lightroom allows me to access a wealth of literature, tutorials, and general information that isn’t readily available to users of Aperture.  Almost every “pro” photographer that I follow closely either uses Lightroom exclusively, or extensively, in their workflow.  

By switching to Lightroom I can apply what I learn from them directly to my own work.

I’ve already started immersing myself in Lightroom, went out and shot a few RAW files, and am becoming more comfortable in my new working environment.  Soon the results will start appearing here and on my website.  I can’t wait to see where the next 14,830 shots lead…