If you're a regular follower of my blog, you know I am a first-time DSLR user. At the end of last year, I finally decided to jump on the bandwagon and give digital photography a try. I didn't know any better so I bought a used Nikon D100 via Ebay. The Nikon D100 was introduced on 2002, and is a discontinued 6-megapixel digital camera designed by professionals and advanced hobbyists.
When it comes to photography, my preference is to shoot landscapes and city skylines at night.
Most people think that to take great images you need a camera that has all the latest bells and whistles. For a long time, I drank the kool aid and pretty much thought the same thing too. New cameras with all the bells and whistles are usually the most expensive. Don't presume that most expensive gear is the best.
Lately, I've been receiving more compliments, more than usual, from family and friends about my pictures. Some people have suggested to try to sell my images, to turn it into a second career. In all seriousness, I am actually considering it, but I digress.
One thing most photographers you know won't tell you, is that they make their images look amazing by enhancing it further in post-processing. Most likely, every picture you have been impressed within the past few years has been post-processed.
Once the image is captured, the process is half-way done. Post-processing of an image is from 40-50% of the imaging process, and post-processing varies from photo to photo. To show you what I mean by post processing, take a look at these "BEFORE and AFTER" images of St. Patrick Cathedral in NYC, and Philadelphia City Hall. The images of the "BEFORE shot" are straight out of the camera, untouched, with zero editing/adjustment :
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
The other day I made personalized prints of some of my best images to send as postcards. I showed the postcards to a friend from the restaurant near my work, he was so impressed with the images that he asked me to sell him my camera. He didn't believe me when I tried to explain that I use photo editing software for post-processing editing effects. I told him that he can find a much better up-to-date used camera, than buying my 13 year old Nikon D100 ancient workhorse.
Adobe Photoshop Elements is a fantastic program, and usually my first choice for photo editing. Depending on the image, in no particular order, I use a combination of various programs like Topaz Adjust, Adobe Lightroom and Photomatix Pro HDR.
I like to use post-processing editing software to make my images look more vibrant by bringing out incredible detail. The proof is in the pudding, they give my images a crisper vibrant look.
There you have it, my photography in a nutshell. This is the reason why I don't need an expensive camera. If I knew then what I know now, I would have purchased a Nikon D5100 body which includes "Live View" capability. If "Santa Claus" or "Los Tres Reyes Magos" read my letter this time, hopefully they will bring me one this year.