Post Production
Taking the picture is only half the job, as many pictures can be improved by using editing programs on a computer.
Normally a camera will take a jpeg picture as standard. This has been enhanced with colour and light already and is normally very good. However if you record RAW format the exact picture taking values are stored by the camera. You can use the standard editor that came with your camera or any other program that can handle RAW to change picture light and colour and improve it yourself. Many club members use Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop .
Common things that get changed
Cropping
This lets you cut out a portion of the original to work on
Zooming
Increase the size of the picture
Brightness and contrast
To lighten or darken the whole image
Dodge and Burn
To lighten or darken a specific area
Clone
Takes a sample of one area and lets you apply it to another area helps you remove items in the picture
Sharpening
Increases the detail
There are lots more but you have to work with your editor to get familiar with what they do.
Make a copy of the original and then you can edit the copy to see how
In the example below the picture was cropped to remove the blur and increase the bird in the frame. The colours were sharpened and the shadows below the wings lightened.
