Like Richard, I often start with AUTO then tweak the image in LR using the Develop module’s sliders and switch to PS sometimes when I want more granular control. I’ve also had very good luck in LR using the Graduated Filter brushes (circular and linear) and the Adjustment Brush tool and their adjustment options. Watch some of the tutorials on YouTube, etc , regarding these tools and see how useful they can be. Meanwhile, thanks for highlighting The value of the AUTO button as a starting poin in many edits. Like you, sometimes it is pretty much all I need (plus maybe a little crop or spot healing).

jak

I think you achieved your stated goals wonderfully, Frank. Here is a crop for your consideration. I feel the amount of negative space in the frame is a drawback as it's more difficult to see the textures and excellent lighting.

At first I wished for more space at the top also but this crop looks balanced to me. The light and line of the table grain lead us at a nice angle to the subject. I'm on the fence about the one little wick that is visible. Kind of quirky and fun

I posted a question about downloading only RAW files. I shoot both RAW and JPEG in card 1 and also in card 2 for backup purposes. The JPEGs are for transferring to an iPhone and sharing while the RAW images are post-processed in LR Classic. There were several useful suggestions.

I'll try a different approach - record only RAW on card 1, record both RAW and JPEG on card 2. I'll be able to download only RAW to LR while having a backup on card 2. I'll need to shift to card 2 for image sharing but that's not too cumbersome.

I'll try this configuration for a while.

Thanks, Linda, for letting me know about this interesting thread. It is fascinating to read others' stories.

I learned to work in the darkroom before I learned how to use a camera. My parent owned a small town newspaper which had the only darkroom in town and as a family business, everyone had to pitch in. By the time I went to college, I was sick of both camera and darkroom and didn't touch anything more complicated than a disposable camera until around 2008 when I bought a DSLR and fell in love with digital. A few months later, at a workshop by Rob Sheppard, I discovered Lightroom and was hooked: all the fun of the darkroom without the smell, the heat (think summers in Mississippi in a tiny unairconditioned closet sized space), etc. I started shooting raw format and enjoyed all I could do with those files.

I tried Photoshop soon after, found it overwhelming, left it alone until Adobe CC came out at a reasonable price, and I found that $10 a month gave me a lot of control, a lot of fun, and a steady challenge of learning new things. I still have barely scratched the surface.

In the beginning I wanted to balance out light and shadow, bring out detail, solve color problems, mitigate noise, and things like that. The egret shot below was from my first batch of DSLR/Lightroom v2 photos.

Once I got into Photoshop too, I learned how to use layers to more carefully address edits of certain areas without affecting other areas, how to use more specific healing and repair tools, and how to develop a sort of favorite "signature" processing approach that I applied to most images that I really cared about, like this one of Icelandic horses circled up to protect themselves from a storm.

From there I learned how to do a little more, how to create and use textures and applied lighting, how to move elements about, how to apply toning. In this shot from my dam bird gallery exhibit collection, I actually moved the bird from one side to the other and stole some of the water spray, and enhanced it to create the sparkles he seems to be studying, and used parts of textures created from shots of the concrete structure itself.

Several months ago I enrolled in a course to learn advanced compositing, and this occupies some of the rainy winter days when I can't get out and take pictures. One I just finished is this composited photo story about Terlingua Texas, a ghost town that was in its heyday in the 1930's when a large mining outfit operated there. I used a photo I took there of an old gas station, added a couple of scanned postcards the Texas centenniel in 1936, added a scanned magazine illustration, text, textures from vintage papers, and brushwork. This sort of thing is great fun, though I have no plan for them other than fun.

I'm still on the journey, and try to learn something every day. It isn't as easy as it once was to master something new and complicated, but I'm not ready to give up!

Linda, thank you for hosting such and interesting topic. I have enjoyed reading other folks' journeys.

I got my first DSLR camera 2 years ago. I used my phone to do very simple post processing using Photoshop Express then I stumbled upon a free app called Photoscape and began a little experimenting. It is a fairly simple program that gives you a few creative tools and was great for a beginner like me. The first picture I posted is what I think of as my first successful creative project.

Then in June of last year I found UHH. There were so many talented creative people posting some amazing artwork and I wanted to be able to do that. I purchased Lightroom and Photoshop and began watching tutorials on Lynda.com. I focused on LR first to improve my basic processing skills. I also began entering the weekly My Image Your View contest in the For Your Consideration section. Since I hadn't been taking photos for very long it gave me some really interesting photos to practice on.

It took a couple of months but I finally dove into Photoshop. The second photo was my first major attempt at layering and composites. Not great but it got me hooked. I followed posts on UHH on techniques and pestered talented users like Linda From Maine who has been a great mentor and a treasure trove of knowledge and advise. I also received lots of encouragement and advise from other talented folks as well.

Fast forward 4 months and I created the 3rd image using both LR and PS incorporating layers, masking, composites and textures. It is the first photo I have had professionally printed and the first I will mat and frame. I still felt like there was a piece missing and I needed something else to help me add finishing touches and creative looks a little easier than in PS.

I downloaded Topaz Studio this week and created the last image. It gave me a look that would have taken me much longer to achieve in PS and it was free. I love my PS and what I am learning there but I think Topaz will give me that extra little "umph" I have been looking for. I still have a long way to go in both my photography and processing skills but I am happy with where I am today and I am extremely grateful for all the help I have received in UHH.

These are all really lovely shots Bruce. I'm crazy about waterfalls, and spent a full month in the Berkshires last year just to capture a few at different times of the day. They are frequently very challenging due to the high contrast involved. You did a great job with that one!

Also, i love your watermark. Super creative and non-invasive. Nice touch!

Finally, i'd just like to add that i share your reluctance to post work anywhere because of my personal sensitivities. It's hard, even though we know we could learn from others, and others from us. But oddly enough, if we're given 10 nicely constructive comments and 1 negative, the ultimate take-away (for me anyway) is the negative, and it can be crushing. It's hard to balance things in a forum. It's not all that helpful or even rewarding to slog through a bunch of platitudes . . . that becomes vapid fast (but not quite as crushing as rude comments). On the other hand, when the comments are harsh or overly critical, they can be so destructive that we just want to quit taking photos, but instead, we become reluctant to share. I think there is a balance here with several of the contributors though, and i'm grateful for that. Forums are tough places to live, especially given the fact that photography is something a lot of us do to break away from our daily grind; something that gives us a sense of balance and pleasure in who we are. I hope you continue to share more of your work . . . i think i will.

Marylea