Most photographers will NEVER admit their mistakes, let alone broadcast them. However, I’m shameless when it comes to confessing mine if it means saving someone else time and headaches.
My mistake? Thinking all photo-editing programs are created equal!
As a professional photographer, editing my photos is a necessary step to make them stand out and give them a saleable look. But, for years, I limited myself without knowing it, because I was using the wrong software…
I spent years telling myself that iPhoto was just as good as any image editing program out there. I would like to claim ignorance, but the truth is, I knew better… I was just afraid!
I was afraid of change, afraid of the unknown, and afraid of the learning curve. I wondered if it was really worth it…
Then one day, I updated the operating system on my Mac and restarted the computer, only to find that iPhoto had been removed from my dock. iPhoto was no longer supported!
At that moment, I had no choice—the time had come to make the switch to Adobe Lightroom.
After only a few weeks (and several of Bonnie Caton’s tutorial videos), I got the hang of it. I was able to quickly edit each photo in a matter of minutes—and I realized what I had been missing for so long.
My images now sparkle with the wow factor that clinches sales! I have more creative control than ever before—with the ability to completely transform images into something unique and saleable. Plus, I am able to salvage many old photos I thought were useless.
The cherry on top? After switching to Lightroom, my sales have skyrocketed! This newfound creative license has both broadened my marketability and reenergized my creative spirit. Editing photos is now fun!
Here are a few of my favorite transformations…
Showcasing the power of Lightroom vs what comes straight out of the camera, this lightning shot needed my favorite one-click solution to fix distortion:
My second favorite, easy to use tool in Lightroom is the adjustment brush. For this image, I simply highlighted the background behind my eagle and dropped down the exposure—it was a million dollar fix in less than five minutes!
And my third go-to in Lightroom are the black and white presets. It’s amazing what they can do! I hit one button, then tweak a little here and there until I like what I see. Sometimes I can’t believe the end result is the same photo I started with!
I especially enjoy radical transformations like this elephant image. These ones make especially great fine art due to their gritty, more graphic nature.
I try to live a “no regret” kind of life… but after I realized how much I had been missing by not using Lightroom all those years, I was kicking myself for some time!
So, don’t make the same mistake I did…don’t wait!
Don’t be afraid to take the leap and learn Lightroom. I promise it’s not as scary as it sounds. And once you get a look at all the amazing ways you can transform your photos, you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.