Well, maybe that is a harsh title, but hear me out.
We have all been in a place where we ask why our photos aren’t what we want them to be. Whether that is because of a certain style, or a look we are trying to achieve that we can’t, or we just aren’t feeling like what we are creating is good enough. If you have ever felt any of those things, please know that you are not alone.
We all feel them, yes, even me.
You can try to make your images better by learning every aspect of Photoshop, but the thing is, your photos are not going to get better by learning all the technical stuff. Sure, that technical knowledge can carry you pretty far, but technical knowledge will not be able to make you feel better your images.
In order to feel better about your style and your photos, you have to feel better about yourself in a way. Your photographs are an extension of who you are as an artist-photographer. Today, Jim Welninski and I have come together to answer the simple question, “Why do my photos suck?”
We are going to give you some solid advice on how to make your images better, but we aren’t going to touch an adjustment layer to do it!
Blake’s Practical Advice:
- Create an experience for the viewer and ensure you are invested in the experience. In order for your viewer to connect with your images you have to make them feel like you did when you were there, you have to create an experience and therefore be emotionally invested in that experience.
- Don’t be afraid to leave a trace of yourself in your work. This concept is often referred to as your style. In all of my work, no matter what I am creating, I am consciously aware that I am leaving a piece of myself in my work.
Download Blake and Jim’s Videos
For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
I agree whole heartedly with what you say. I have always tried to put my “touch” in my photographs. I want the people who see my work to be able to feel what I felt when I took the photo. I was on another photo board and someone asked me about a photo I shot. It was a shot that I had added a beautiful sunset to showcase the building I shot. When I explained what I had done another reader flamed me for putting up a photo that wasn’t real. He was a purist. If you had to manipulate a photo in any way it wasn’t worth showing and it was lying to the viewer. He, in my opinion, was not an artist. He could never convey a feeling from a photograph that is truly art.
Great work Blake. THANKS.
Love the idea that an image should reflect the photographer. That investing oneself emotionally at the time of capture using acquired skills, then post processing to create a specific personality. Uniqueness is what is so special about art!
ggiannini40@gmail.com
very interesting thanks
Great stuff Blake, as always you are going above and beyond the mark of excellent. And you are helping us to become better Artist and Photographers.
Thanks so much Blake!
Once again, you and Jim are right on with the concepts. I’m hoping that I will eventually be able to implement them well enough to feel more productive with my image composites. Thanks, Blake.
Thanks, Blake, It helps to get a little nudge and inspiration to move forward in my photography.
Thank you again, you’re a great teacher.
Loved both of these, and I have just started to ‘see my vision’, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I’m looking forward to seeing the course next week.
I agree completly. There are times when I want my images to show the scene pretty much as it was when I was there. But these days, I often find myself wanting to ‘create’ an image (or art) that pleases my artistic sense. For the time being, I’m not big into replacing skies (and I have no issues with that), but I do clean up distracting elements all the time. As I find myself progressing with my hobby, my goals have changed/evolved. I used to think of myself as a photo hobbiest. Now, I prefer to think of myself as an artist who just happens to use a camera and software to create images.
My husband, a mechanical engineer, has a difficult time with the “creative” part of photography but he longs for the ability to see what “artists” see. He watched the two videos and now can’t stop talking about how you really helped him take a step in the right direction. Thanks!!
That is awesome to hear! Wow! We love it. A lot of engineers just need a descriptive explanation of inspiration and they can get there!
Hi Blake,
I am taking your Photoshop Mastery in 30 days course and have run into a problem with
Bridge. When I click on the Tools tab and try to open your sample photos in Photoshop as layers, I get a message that I have to install the latest version of Photoshop (which I did several days ago). Then the message asks you to click “yes” or “no” I have tried both options and nothing happens. I have a MacBook Pro running Sonoma v. 14.2.1. I have tried using both currently available versions of Bridge (13.0.5 and 14.0.1) with the same results. I’m also using Photoshop v. 25.3.1. This all came about while trying to do the exercises in day 13 of your tutorial, since when I docked the portrait and then tried to move the texture photo over as instructed, it kept disappearing. I have since done a work around by loading the photos in Lightroom and opening them as layers in Photoshop from there. Problem solved, but thought you should know (and I would really prefer to work from Bridge). Also, this problem is also being discussed on the Bridge Community Forum, but no one has responded with a solution yet.