Show Notes

It is July 2020 and it is feeling like a “lost year” already. I’ve felt somewhat aimless at times, drifting about. The phrase “lost year” reminded me of John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend”, actually an 18-month period. During this time he drifted a bit and wasn’t really rooted anywhere. He bounced around a variety of recording studios and had lots of collaborations.

Yet John was incredibly creative during this period. He finished 3 full albums and charted his first #1 US hit as a solo artist. That got me thinking. What can I learn from John’s “Lost Weekend”? Is there something I can apply to my photography?

I explore this idea in today’s podcast. Given the current world situation, in-person collaborations aren’t really feasible. However, experimenting in post-processing certainly is. I share my story of how I shook up my workflow to spark some creativity.

Here are three ideas to shake up your post-processing:

1. Use a different editing tool. Start your workflow in a place that’s not typical for you. Perhaps edit an entire batch of photos using your least-used editing tool. Starting in a new place will lead you down a different path.

2. Explore the corners of the editing tools you own. Dig deeper into the editing tool you use most. Look at filters, effects, or sliders you don’t typically use. Try them out.

3. Push your tried and true sliders in a different direction. Most of us have a few favorite sliders and filters. Push the sliders in the opposite direction than you normally do. For example, selectively desaturate colors in a HSL tool or go negative with clarity and sharpness.

It is OK if you fumble around a bit. It is also OK if the photos you produce are ones you never want to share. The goal of these ideas is to make discoveries, learn, and spark creativity.

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