Return to photography

I used to love snapping photos, but it wasn't until recently that I got back into it. I set myself the task of picking up one of my old cameras, which I never fully learned how to use, and teaching myself the ins and outs of it.



The camera has its limitations - being older, it doesn't do well in low light - anything above ISO 800 is too grainy to be useable. But in good light, it snaps some nice pics, and it has a nice zoom.



I've been using that zoom to do my photography in the exact opposite way that I usually approach it - I usually get very close to objects and do macro shots.

Instead, I've been zooming all the way in, to get close to things I am actually very far away from.



I've been using two free Photoshop Actions from the Coffee Shop blog which I highly recommend:
Vivid 2 and Perfect Portrait.



The actions do a great job brightening and sharpening up images I didn't think I could use. It's been fun to get back into snapping pics and editing them!

Photoshop Actions

About a week ago I started playing with Pioneer Woman's Photoshop Actions on some of my excessively boring pics. :) By the way, isn't she amazing? She's hilarious, she can cook, she takes a mean photograph, and Photoshops like nobody's business. If I was doing all that and had children, you can bet those kids would look like they'd been raised by wolves. She constantly inspires me.

Here's the original bore-fest:

Maybe photographs are subject to the photographer's mood (just like any other artistic creation)? Because lots of my pics seem to have the blahs lately. :)

I made black and white versions of my recent night pics (again using PW Photoshop Actions):

I'm sort of a fan.... I like the extra drama of the black and white, and how it simplifies photos into a very dramatic conversation of lights and darks and shadows... What do you think? :) Has anyone tried out Actions before? I'm gonna warn you though, I can give you zero technical assistance on them, I barely understand how I got them to work, myself. :)