Friday, September 23, 2011

Remembering the Adventure: Photographs of My Year Abroad

I took over 4,000 photographs during my year in Greece and my visits to Hungary, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and the UK.  And now that I've been home for two months (two months!?), I've finally taken the leap from storing the photos digitally to printing some of them out and framing them.  In the process of doing this, I've realized that even though I love seeing the photo in all its physical glory (it feels entirely different than seeing it on a computer screen) and I enjoy the artistic process of choosing the best matting color and frame to complement the photo, I really dislike messing with the photograph with photo editing software.

A lot of the photos need this extra touch, whether it's because cropping or straightening the horizon really enhances the final photo or due to the stretch of weeks in which I had sand in the lens of my camera (resulting in a dark circle on some of my best photos that needs to be digitally edited out.)  I've found that I don't have the patience for this type of detailed and time-consuming alteration, and I dislike the process even more because it's on a computer.  The physical act of creating has always been part of the appeal of the crafts that I choose, something that digital photo editing lacks.  But, my photos shouldn't be doomed to remain on my hard drive just because I'm lazy about fixing them and uninformed about the photo programs available.  So, I've started with the pictures that need only minor adjustments, and I'm working my way up to those that are victims of the sand-in-the-camera-lens phenomenon.  It's a lot harder and more time-consuming than I thought it would be, but I'm so proud of the results!  Take a look at my first framed photographic artwork.  Isn't it gorgeous?


P.S. Since I'm back at home for a while and don't have the space to display even a tenth of my photographs, I'm listing some of my favorites for sale on Etsy.  Keep tabs on fashnblylatecrochet, store name "Fashionably Late" - I'm listing photographs as I finish and frame them.  And, if you have a favorite from the blog that you would like to see in my Etsy shop, let me know!