Making something out of nothing at all

I am a firm believer in what my wise old grandmother always used to tell me: “What comes out of the camera is just the basics to start with.”

Here is a picture as it came out of the camera:

That’s a pretty cruddy picture. It’s out of focus and noisy, to say the least. However, I really liked the colors of those two pedicabs and decided to try to make something out of the picture.

I took the picture to Photoshop CC and, seeking to take the easy way out, just started applying filters at their default settings. I quickly found one I liked: the plastic wrap filter (Filter ► Filter Gallery ► Artistic ► Plastic Wrap). The Plastic Wrap settings were Highlight Strength 15, Detail 5, and Smoothness 5. Here is the result:

The original picture would be considered a throwaway by many photographers who still seek to “get it right in the camera,” those who seemingly don’t understand that getting it right in the camera often means accepting what the camera software programmers think is “right.”

Never give up on a picture. As with all things in life, try to make something, even if you’re trying to make it out of nothing at all.

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