Photography is a passion and is fun for me.  Some of the most fun I have is not only taking the pictures, but the ability to bring photos that started out kind of blah, back to life again.  There are many times actually, I snap photos that in the moment catch my attention and my imagination, only to find out when I get home and view them, that the lighting might have been off, the exposure was bad, or the composition was less than desirable - or all of the above.

With the magic of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, the ability to breathe life into otherwise dead photos, I am able to save more photos than I lose. Below are some of the photos I have taken that started out not so good, but ended up very nice.... take a look - what are your thoughts?

Before and After Photos

Corporate building BeforeCorporate building from the camera. Corporate building AfterCorporate building After adjusting the lighting and exposure. I was able to bring out the sharpness and make this shot very appealing

Drumline BeforeDrumline in the clouds from the camera. Drumline AfterDrumline after improving the exposure and lighting in Lightroom.

Golfcourse BeforeGolfcourse from the camera - in twilight with a CPL filter. Golfcourse AfterGolfcourse following post processing - in twilight with a CPL filter. Made some adjustments in Lightroom to the exposure, lighting and contrast.

Jack BeforeJack from the camera. Jack AfterImproved the exposure, sharpness, contrast and lighting in Photoshop

Jack Before-3Jack being lazy and pouting because I was working and not playing with him. Jack After-3Made quite a few adjustments in post processing to this photo, including converting to black & white, increasing contrast and cropping to improve the composition.

Mt Vernon BeforePicture of Mount Vernon from the camera.... not a bad shot from the camera. Mt Vernon AfterImproved exposure, contrast and removed haze in Lightroom.

Golf follow through beforeCaptured a golf swing in follow through. Not a bad shot from the camera with a CPL in overcast conditions. Golf swing in follow through afterBetter photo with some post processing, adjusting exposure, contrast and removed some of the haze to brighten the sky.

Mc portrait before - out of the cameraGood portrait, but the lighting is strong from the right, and little out of balance. Mc portrait after processingImproved exposure and softened the light in Lightroom, also improved sharpness and contrast to pull out more detail.