Sometimes you let a little too much light in when you are taking photos and the scene looks washed out, almost as if you spilled bleach on the photo. This is called overexposure and is something that happens to many photographers while starting to learn how to use their DSLR cameras. I am no different.
This photo was overexposed to the point where it was nearly unsalvageable. While cleaning up photos from the Cook Islands, I decided to see if I could salvage the photo by playing with the levels in Aperture. A little more of this, a little less of that and suddenly I had a photo that looked pretty darn cool. Sure, this is not exactly how the photo looked coming out of the camera, but it does accurately reflect what I saw that day while walking around the island. For me, that’s all that really matters.
Since this wasn’t the only photo I took of the Rarotonga harbor area, it’s easy to contrast this adjusted photo with what things looked like in person. Here is another photo I took after adjusting the camera to the proper settings:
I really like both photos and it’s hard for me to really name a favorite. I think it depends on the order that you look at them. The first photo is eye catching and has a very avant-garde feel. The second photo has many beautiful colors and is an accurate depiction of the cool harbor I found in Rarotonga.
Which photo do you prefer and why?