Software for image work and post-processing photography can do a lot of amazing things, but one myth that is often proved false is the idea that one can take a photograph with horrible lighting and the right program will make everything perfect. As can be seen with expert businesses like David Yarrow Photography, good lighting is a must for the best photographs. There is no program or software out there that can substitute code for lighting that works.
The Tools that Exist
Granted, even the product of David Yarrow Photography goes through post-processing. There are aspects of photography software that all experts and professionals use to finish off their images and make them ready for professional release.
However, the technical side of the software cannot make up for bad lighting choices. Here’s how it works; a photograph starts off with capturing an image that is based on both the light available while the camera shutter is open and the speed of the shutter when released. Modern cameras replicate this feature with computerized elements, but the logic is the same.
Even the latest technology of mirrorless cameras still follows the design of timing and exposure. So, the photograph is only as good as the light allowed into the sensor at the time the photograph is taken.
The Digital Side Betrays Itself
When a photograph image is then brought into post-processing software by David Yarrow Photography or anyone else, the image is cleaned up, catalogued, presumably labelled with meta-data for identification, and then finished with modifications to make it as good as possible. Features within the software can do a lot to increase the lighting of an image by changing exposure, contrast, color, shading, tint and more.
However, every time tool is applied, code is added to the image, and more disturbance occurs to the image itself. This is not even noticeable with some changes, but with lighting, it really stands out when too much is applied. We see it as “dust” or minuscule dotting that occurs. Technically, the deterioration of the image appears as “noise.” By the time noise appears, an image is so bad most professionals will delete it and shoot the photograph over again.
Good Photography Starts With Good Light
Expert photographers don’t rely on software to produce great images. They focus on the camera work itself and the control of the image creation. The software is an after-the-fact tool for finishing, much the way wax polishes the body of a car to a shine but doesn’t build it. This is evident in the work of David Yarrow Photography and other professionals who work every day in producing photographs that capture the world in full detail and clarity.
