How do you see the world???

How do you see the world photographically?   This is not a question with a value judgement, just a question!  The great thing about photography is we can see and interpret the world as we desire.  The shot above is my vision for something I saw this morning and then photographed it, then processed it to my liking.  The shot below is more like what I saw, in reality.

Which is better?  Well, that all depends on how you want to share your vision with the world.  If you see a spectacular world with vivid rich colors, the top shot is for you, if you are much more grounded in reality, you might like the one directly above.  Fortunately we don’t have “photo police” that enforce seeing the world only one way!  Once you start to explore your feelings about images you are open to stretch that vision even further.  As an example, the image below is the original, close to reality shot, with an application of NIK’s Color Efex 3.0 filter Glamour Glow, thanks Scott Kelby, I’ll be forever in your debt for turning me on to that filter!!!  (And for a lot more as well!!)

With your permission let’s take another example and play some with it!!  On a drizzling morning rain I took shelter in my car and captured the front door of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Henderson, the weather was perfect for saturated colors, so let’s start here with a straight shot of the church door and surrounding stone.

Now let’s play on the texture of the stone and apply Topaz’s Adjust – Spicify to the original image.

I hope this is fun for you, I’m having a blast!!!!  For my last example I saw this faded, rusting, trailer side with a Penzoil logo on it, what a playground!!!  First the straight shot:

To sharpen the details and add some grit we applied Nik’s Color Efex 3.0 Tonal Contrast.

Unable to leave well enough alone, I went a step further and applied Glamour Glow from NIK’s Color Efex 4.0

So what is the bottom line?  If you feel adventurous, I’ve given you some food for thought, if this is not your thing, it’s o.k.,  feel free to leave it alone.  The most important thing is to find a vision that fits you and works for  you.

Now your spiritual vision is another thing altogether!  I hope you’ve opened yourself up to the infinite possibilities that come with accepting Christ and following His plan for your life.  While “creative processing” of images may not be for everyone, Jesus Christ is!!!  A friend told me a while back that he just wasn’t sure he believed in God, I told him that I knew one thing for sure, “He believes in you…….”

In Him,

the pilgrim

Blog note:  I’ve been on the road for  16 straight days and I’m going home Saturday to change suitcases, pickup my bride and immediately (within an hour or two), runaway to a warm beach, for a week.  I’m not a sun person, so when I’m not spending time with my girl friend, (yes, Sherelene), or napping or soaking in the hot tub, I will blog occasionally, but I can’t promise one everyday!!!  Starting November 2nd I’m off for another 15 straight days out on the road, so I need to be a good husband during my short time off!!  For those of you that are joining us out in Arizona and Utah in early November the excitement is really on the rise as Jim, Snake, Chuck, R.C. and I are making preparations for a wonderful time with you guys!!