The Golden Rule For ALL My Photo Edits

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I talk about photo editing tools a lot. Yet no matter what tool I am using, I follow one golden rule for all my photo edits. That principle guides my creative process every time I work on an image. And I’m sharing it with you. It starts and ends with a simple question:

What do you want my viewer to see?

Ask this question when you start your edit and it will guide your processing. It doesn’t matter what editing software you use or what genre of photography you are drawn to. When you answer this question, it guides your processing. The answer focuses your attention on what matters in the frame. You’ll know what in the your photo to accentuate, what colors to enhance or downplay, where contrast and detail need to be boosted or muted, what gets dodged, what gets burned, what gets blurred, what gets sharpened, how to crop… and on, and on, and on.

Chances are good that your favorite photo applications already have the tools you need to selectively apply adjustments to shape and craft your photos. Answer that question - What do you want your viewer to see? - and your photo edits will improve.

Praying Hands, Carmel Mission
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Sculpture, Delaware
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Tree And Watchman, Virgin River, Utah
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