My tech teacher Andrew is working with me on learning more about my computer and also teaching me about what I call ethical photo editing. I used to avoid photo editing completely, it felt false and gimmicky to me and then got sucked in by Apple’s Aperture program, no longer being supported.

I’m not into the PhotoShop head switching or doctoring or publishing fake photos. I see the best editing programs – Affinity is the one I’m using now –  as a new form of art. I can use the colors and images and present them in a new or dramatic way.

But the photos are always the ones I took. I like the drama of the sky when it is highlighted.

I took this photo above, which was taken the morning after the recent storm and was blue and colorful, and made it more dramatic to capture the feeling of a winter storm,  the beauty and the power of the cold. I made it a black and white image (not taken by the Leica) and brought up the red in the barn.

Both photos worked for me and did their job. But the edited one adds something of the drama of a strong storm that is over. The earth gives a sigh of relief.

This is where I want to go with my photography, portraits, still life pictures, and atmospheric photos like this. Andrew is a great teacher, and I am very much enjoying learning. The red in the barn gives the photo a whole new dimension.