This Ain't Your Grandfather's Photography, Part 3 - A Tale of Two Photos

One thing I enjoy about photography is it is a merger of details from two different disciplines. First, there are the details that come in taking a shot - how it is envisioned, framed, and captured. Second is what is done with the picture in the post processing - what digital adjustments can be made to it to enhance an effect I am looking to achieve. The above shots are each examples to those two separate disciplines I continue to practice and refine.

The one on the left was about technical execution - working with the ISO and F stop settings on my DSLR to get the shutter timing and exposure just right to capture the moon. I have admitted before this type of detail work is not my favorite because I have not found an explanation of the Exposure Triangle that I can confidently understand...too many of them quickly dive into correlating seemingly confusing numbers with overall effects on a shot that seemingly need a ton of adjusting before clicking the shutter. I recall it taking me a solid 10 minutes to get things set up properly on my tripod and camera settings before I got what I wanted.

The one on the right was about post processing. While I did make a few generalized adjustments to my iPhone's camera to capture it, I also took it knowing there was more going on around the moon I wanted to incorporate - the clouds. But, to get there, I needed to sit for awhile with Lightroom and adjust the noise, texture, clarity, etc. before landing on something I liked (the moon has cloud trail effects that look like its in motion).

My diligence and patience with Lightroom over the camera may be rooted in the fact I am computer nerd and graphic designer at heart, because I know I spent more time working with it than I did when I was cursing and swearing when an ISO setting I made didn't net the effect I had hoped for.

And maybe that's really the point - there is no single path to achieving great shots. It's up to the photographer to decide what he or she wants to do to create what they envision.