Photoshop is a very powerful tool. With strong basics and a good vision, you can do wonders. But what photoshop should not do, is to cover up the inadequacies in our technical abilities.

It is rather easy nowadays to produce cross-processed (lomo like) images or images with a textured layer over it. Most times, it can be done with a single click of a button. I love the looks too actually and will sometimes apply such processing to my personal collection of images. However, despite the advances in digital darkroom technologies, I always believe we should not forget the basics of photography. Reading of light, exposure, composition etc. Just because a textured layer on top of an overexposed (blown) image can cover the flaw doesn’t mean we should just photograph with our eyes closed.

Now i am not one who will profess that I am technically sound, because I certainly am not. But i am willing and trying to improve each day, and I also hope all the budding photographers out there can do likewise. Processing can sometimes save a bad image, to a certain extent. But imagine what it can do to a properly exposed and composed one!

We can always get better and we should always strive to be better!

With this, I am also launching my “Before & After” series. Everyone is used to seeing the touched up versions on my blog or on Facebook but what about the initial RAW file? The pre-processed shots! Well, I am gonna be posting the unedited raw image in comparison to the processed ones every now and then. So check back soon to see the amazing transformations (ok lar.. maybe not so amazing but they are nice enough! hahaha). Here’s a preview…