Dont worry, editing your vacation photos isnt as tough or technical as it sounds.
Heres what you should probably know.
You want to adjust photos when you still remember what it felt like to shoot them.
Because your interest wanes rapidly, says Haftel.
Thats why the first thing you should do when sitting down to edit is cull.
You probably like a lot more of your photos than other people will.
Kill your little darlings.
Fewer, better photos is always going to be better than tons of crappy ones.
choose the images that best represent your vacation from start to finish.
And things dont have to be in exact order, says Haftel.
Focus on the story.
Say, for example, you took a great photo of a dog surrounded by people.
you’re gonna wanna emphasize the dog (the subject), while de-emphasizing everything else.
Then make selective adjustments to make the dog stand out even more.
Remember, anything in focus that isnt your subject is just a distraction from your story.
Its partially due to hardware and whatnot, but its also because youre not a emotionless machine.
The process lets you add back in the psychological elements that were at play.
Or maybe the colors in your photo just dont compare to the colors you know you saw.
This happens a lot with sunsets, and it happens to me all the time with vegetation.
My photos never look as green as things seemed to me in person.
The camera takes some of that emotion away, so play around with your photos and bring it back.
The keyword here is play.
Remember, editing photos should be fun!
The phrase editing photos is like finger painting for adults stuck out in my mind.
Relax, take a breath, and venture to keep things simple.
For example, clarity and contrast are largely overused, according to ONeil Hughes and Haftel.
They caution that you should only use sliders if they reinforce the story youre trying to tell.
A little softness can do wonders for a photo.
Dont throw the same filter or preset on every photo just because it looks good on one of them.
Every image is a puzzle, and youre trying to unlock its potential with subtle adjustments.
