Week 10 BOC: Nothing Photography

For this photo challenge we were to photograph nothing, so what does that imply well I guess that is the riddle we needed to solve. I am sure that everyone went about the challenge differently, for me I tried to photograph nothing in a couple different ways and the above photograph is the image I chose to show. This I guess could be a considered a photograph of an empty street, but isn’t an empty street “nothing”?  The funny thing is that everything you take a picture of nothing you take a picture of something.

Take this photograph for instance it is just an empty street and nothing is the focal point of the image yet if you look closely you can see different points of interest within the image. If you look in the background you can see the light of the Luxor shining into the heavens. This was a longer exposure as well and you can see a little distortion alone the right or street side of the photo from someone walking through the frame leaving a shadowy streak. The patterns that the light shining through the tree over head also add an interesting element. So even though the image is not of one thing in particular it has some interesting elements within it for being an image of nothing in particular.  So in my opinion it is impossible to take a picture of nothing without taking a picture of something. Yet sometimes the images that do not contain a particular focal point can still have make an impact and be a very interesting photo to look at.

Week 9 BOC: Food Photography

Food photography is not as easy as putting food on a plate and snapping a few pictures, many times food photography comes down to having the correct lighting and having a good food stylist. Food photography can be a time consuming process and often you run into the problem of shooting cool or cold food yet still having to make it look hot and appetizing. Finding the angle to shoot each different plate of food can play a huge part in how the food looks and wither it is appealing to the viewer. When shooting food it is important to know what the shot will be used for if the shot is to be used in a magazine ad then you would want to leave more room for a graphic artist to add text without having to put type over the top of the food. If the shot is strictly being used for a picture of the food as in being a picture on a menu then you might be able to crop in a little tighter on the food making it more of a close up shot. When shooting food taking the simplest approach is often the best approach when it comes to shooting food. I think it is also nice to use depth of field either bringing the entire plate into view or choosing a focal point and allowing the rest of the plate of background go out of focus.

Week 7 BOC: Self Porttrait Eye

Here is an example of a self portrait done by capturing my own reflection in my models eye. I have seen many of these taken over the years; many starting photographers take these types of photographs. I do not particularly like these photos yet I can understand the appeal, After all the eyes are said to be the windows to the soul. It is always fun to take a self portrait in a reflection and the eye can give you a unique look for that photo opportunity. These photographs are best taken outdoors in bright sunlight so that you can use a larger aperture allowing for a large depth of field. For my shot however I shot it indoors with a macro and a shallow depth of field. I also used a higher ISO do to the lower lighting situation. I think I got a good reflection using a flash and a reflector. In most cases I would probably Photoshop the eye so it was not blood shot, yet I like the effect of the blood shot eye making this a more unique photograph. I did not do a whole lot of post work to my image I try and capture the correct exposure in the camera rather than just take a shot and then try and fix it in post. I believe you have to do it right in the camera first then if you want to enhance the image in post you have a rock solid foundation to work with.

Week 10 EOC: Networking

Networking is a key role in advertising and promoting one’s business in any market. Another way to promote one’s business is to create a product that people then talk about. Word of mouth can also be a huge driving factor for people to become interested in a business. Some more traditional methods of marketing include flyers, billboards and running ads in local magazines and newspapers. These are all ways that I will promote my business as a photographer in the Las Vegas and its surrounding areas. I plan to also use the internet to attract people to my business by posting photo sessions and advertisement on social networking site such as Twitter and Facebook. Having a page for my businesson a site like Facebook will help to promote my business and help to direct people to my website. My webpage will also be promoted on my personal Facebook page as well. Another way I plan to promote my business by attending events and tradeshows where I can network with others in my field. I also plan to have custom decals made that will be placed on my vehicle with the name of my studio and phone number. Trying to be as visible as possible in the Las Vegas market will help to drive business into my studio. Another way that I will promote my business is by calling previous customers and letting them know what new things our studio has to offer.

Week 9 EOC: Where Will I Be At Age 40?

Unlike some of the student currently in school I am someone who has already had a career and then chose to go back to school. I chose to go back to school after the economy went down the tubes and the current field that I was in started to dry up. I also decided to go back to school to change my career to something I had a true passion for which for me is photography. I have always since I was a kid loved photography yet never really thought of it as a career path for me. I at the time thought of it more as a passionate hobby of mine. Then through a series of events I was presented with the opportunity to not only get a degree, but get a degree in something that I loved. Not ever having any long term schooling after high school was always something that I wanted to change, so here I am working hard to get my degree in a field I love so that I can have a career in a field I have a passion for. I see myself as a professional photographer now as well instead of just a hobbyist. I guess the answer to the question of this blog post is simply I see myself at age 40 in a career I love making a comfortable living for me and my family, and best of all being happy with what I get to wake up and do each and every morning. The simplest give you can give yourself and others is to be happy with who you are and what you are doing.

Week 8 EOC: Are All Celebrities Fair Game?

Where do you drive the line in photographing a celebrity, this is a question that all photographers will have to answer for themselves at some point in their careers. This doesn't only apply to strictly celebrities but political or public individuals as well. Sometimes this applies to street photographers or photojournalists as well. The bottom line is simple if anyone considers themselves to be a photographer they will have to decide where the line is that they won't cross in trying to capture the perfect image or story.
For me I have often wondered where I would draw that line. I do not particularly care for some of the paparazzi style photography that crosses the line taking photos of someone in their own private property or in their own home through there window is definitely crossing the line to me. If a celebrity were to be out in public I think that they could be considered fair game, yet stalking them or following them for miles on end is to me crossing the line as well. I think back to the tragedy of Princess Diana and how the paparazzi crossed more than a few lines that night. To me there is not a story or photograph of a person no matter who they are that could be justified in a situation like that one. I have often wondered how different the world would be if the respect that we all had towards one another was still present in today’s world. Photography has changed and continues changing each and every day and year, the only thing we can do as photographers is change with the time while not changing our own moral character. If we were to do this the question of fair game would take on a whole other point of view or persceptive.

Week 8 BOC: Photo Challenge News Story

"On March 19, the moon will swing around Earth more closely than it has in the past 18 years, lighting up the night sky from just 221,567 miles (356,577 kilometers) away. On top of that, it will be full. And one astrologer believes it could inflict massive damage on the planet."
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110310/sc_space/willmarch19supermoontriggernaturaldisasters)

This is the reason for my photos of the moon as a news photo, the photos go along with the moon story. The story goes on to talk about the possibilities of natural destructive events happening around the world. The recent earthquake in Japan may not have anything to do with the phase of the moon or the proximity of the moon to the earth, but it causes one to stop and think that they could have a relationship to one another.

"The moon's gravity can even cause small but measurable ebbs and flows in the continents, called "land tides" or "solid Earth tides," too. The tides are greatest during full and new moons, when the sun and moon are aligned either on the same or opposite sides of the Earth.
According to John Vidale, a seismologist at the University of Washington in Seattle and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, particularly dramatic land and ocean tides do trigger earthquakes. "Both the moon and sun do stress the Earth a tiny bit, and when we look hard we can see a very small increase in tectonic activity when they're aligned," Vidale told Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to SPACE.com."
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110310/sc_space/willmarch19supermoontriggernaturaldisasters)

Week 6 BOC: Paparazzi Photo Challange

Here is my paparazzi style photograph; the photograph is of my son as he exits our vehicle to make it more realistic I did not let him know that I was going to photograph him. I am always teasing him about his hairdo and him starting to look like Justin Bieber, so that was my inspiration for my shot. I also wanted to make the photograph a little more dramatic so I shot it at night using the on camera flash so that my sons face and jacket were lit up while the background went black. I shoot all my shots in RAW format instead of JPEG so that I never start with a compressed file. So even when you shoot in black and white mode the camera captures all the color information as well. I wanted the final photograph to be in black and white, so the only editing I did was to crop the image to a square format and to turn the photograph into a black and white. This being said I think that by turning the photograph into a black and white image it capture my subject in a more dramatic way.
In this style of photography many of those getting photographed know that people are there to photograph them. Some times however, paparazzi like Ron Gallela surprise their subjects catching the person off guard to capture a more candid image. This can be an effective way to get a couple photos before someone asks you to stop taking their photograph.  This is not the style of photography that captures my interest, the closes to paparazzi photography that I enjoy shooting is street photography. In ways they are similar to each other I think that street photography is less intrusive than that of paparazzi photography.

Week 6 EOC: Ron Galella

"Ron Galella. Widely regarded as the most famous and most controversial celebrity photographer in the world—he's been dubbed “Paparazzo Extraordinaire” by Newsweek and “the Godfather of the U.S. paparazzi culture” by Time and Vanity Fair—Galella is clearly willing to take great risks to get the perfect shot." (http://www.rongalella.com/about-ron.html)I have to admit I have never been a fan of paparazzi photography, yet Ron Galella has some remarkable images and has shot more famous people than I can name. Ron Galella has a passion for his work that shows through in his photographic work. This is what every photographer needs to have if they want to make a career in photography. In the movie we watched in class on Ron Galella you can see why this type of photographer gets such a bad name for themselves. Going after a photograph of a celebrity, doing whatever it takes to get the shot that will sell for the highest value.
"Photojournalism has become a different profession. The sums of money have increased with the dumbing down of journalism where entertainment is cash," says Adams. "The money is not in reporting on wars or famine, but in getting a picture of a celebrity topless. Today's market is Dodi kissing Diana on a boat in the Mediterranean. That sells." (http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=2325)Although I do not approve of some of his methods, I enjoy shooting candid shots rather than a more formal posed style of photography when it comes to shooting people. I enjoy shooting street photography so in a way I suppose that is like paparazzi photography. So if I had to emulate his shooting style for homework assignment that is how I would probably go about doing it. I like to shoot people in action, trying to capture those candid moments.

BOC Week 5: Painting With Light

What is painting with light, painting with light is just as it sounds using a light source to create an image. This is done in many different ways, with a variety of different techniques. The light sources can vary as differently as the techniques. After shooting a few different ways, using things like flashlights, small toys that light up and glow sticks I found that these little toy swords that my kids had were the perfect tools for me to use on this assignment. I shot a few different things like having the kids run around the yard, using the lights to paint different object and stuff like that before I thought of the idea of creating a silhouetted subject standing in front of a painted light backdrop. In the image above I was able to capture a woman standing with her hands on her hips. Sometimes when I look at a photograph something in that photograph jumps out at me. In this case the woman in the photograph is what speaks to me. The colors of the lights in the background make me think that the woman may have two different sides to her, yet her stance looks poised and controlled. I see empowerment in her stance even though her face is hidden in the shadows of her silhouette. The touch of color along the back edge of the subjects body help to separate her from the background and add an extra sense of intrigue into the picture. The hint of color makes you want to find out more about the subject, who is she, what is her expression, things of that nature. I really like the way this image came out and am planning on turning this into a series of photographs. The great thing about photography and it's many forms is that you can always learn new things or new ways to do old things, the sky is the limit when you put some creativity into your work.

Week 5 EOC: Copyright Process for Photography

The copyright process for a photographer is not a complicated process, yet if not done properly the photographer can be taken advantage of or lose his or her rights to their own photographs. Copyright is given at the moment of creation to the creator of a piece of work in this case at the moment a photograph is taken. For the photographer it is not enough that they own the copyright, they then need to establish that copyright by placing the proper information in the metadata. To establish the copyright the photographer needs to place the © followed by the photographers name and the year. This establishes a legal copyright to the picture and can help to protect a photographer when his work has been infringed upon. After this has been done the photographer then has to take an active approach in making sure no one is or has been infringing on his or her work. The copyright serves only to keep honest people honest. If a photographer finds that an individual or company is using his or her work without permission or for a purpose other than what was agreed upon, the photographer must act immediately to stop this infringement. If the photographer knows about the infringement and does nothing to stop it then the photographer could lose his or her rights to the photographic work. The photographer may not in that case even be able to collect penalties or damages from the infringing party. However if the copyright has been established and the photographer acts at the first instance of a found infringement, the photographer can seek a settlement from the infringing party including any and all profit made from the photographic work and damages. The best practice for a photographer is to establish his or her copyright straight from the beginning and then take an active role in protecting that copyright.

BOC Week 4: Wedding Photography

Wedding photography is a huge market for photography, Millions of dollars each year is spent on photography for engagements, weddings and receptions. There are many different types and styles of wedding, yet all have one thing in common and that it a bride and groom. The key to photographing a wedding is to be in the right place at the right time to capture the couples special moments as they happen. 

In the picture above I was able to capture the moment of the first bite of cake which with some couples is cute and sweet and others it can be a bit messy. (The messy ones can be a ton of fun to capture.) As with most of these type of events things can happen in the blink of an eye and if you’re not already anticipating the action you miss the moment and the shot. Many of these shots cannot be recreated after the fact either. Capturing candid moments during a wedding or reception can enhance the overall photographic experience of the couple’s happy day. I was able to capture this moment as many others like this one while shooting this reception for my wife cousin. I basically just spent the entire time behind the lens of my camera looking for situation that could result in some candid moments, as well as being ready and in a good position for the more formal moments. Every time I shoot a wedding, reception, or event I learn new ways to be a little better than the time before so that I am able to capture those so call great money shots that everyone wants to buy.



Sometimes Wedding photography is about more than just the bride to be or like in the case of my sister sometimes you hire a photographer that doesn't deliver. When I said I needed to take some wedding picture for a class assignment my sister volunteered to be my model. So I took her and her family up to the Las Vegas Temple to take some photographs so that she and her husband could have some pictures that they would be happy with. This is one of my favorites from our shoot, my sister and her daughter look so happy and to me that is what a wedding and marriage is all about happiness. There are many different styles of wedding photography. Some wedding photographers prefer to shoot in a more traditional style shooting formal shots and varying little outside that realm. Other photographer's like myself shoot both formal and candid photography. I tend to lean more towards the candid shots trying to capture the real moments as they happen. I like to shoot with natural light when available, the outdoors allow me to do this most of the time. The time of day can play a huge part in how well the photographs will turn out in the end. sometimes it is the luck of the draw as well when you get beautiful clouds to add and enhance the photo's in which the photographer is shooting. In the above photograph you can only see some of the clouds and sky, but in many of the other photographs you can see the impact beautiful clouds and a deep blue sky can have on a wedding portrait. Each photographer looks at the light in different ways and sometimes the photographer looks at light differently from shoot to shoot. In this shoot I wanted to shoot in a some what high key fashion to give the photograph a distinct look when edited a certain way.

BOC Week 5: Competitive Analysis

http://www.trentblackphoto.com/ this website looks very professional, the galleries open in separate page to play a flash slideshow with music. The photographer has his prices on website, as well as a Bio and contact page. When changing from page to page it is done with a nice transition that is appealing to look at. All of the information and pages have a nice connected feel to them. This photographer even has a page with what looks like hand written testimonial, which adds a great final touch to the overall website. This is a very competitive website will a lot of strengths.

http://sagalow.com/ This website has all the elements for a professional website, it has an about page, a blog page, separate pages for the different galleries and a contact page. The website starts out with an entry page with picture button options that look like they would take you into separate website, one for the photographer’s weddings site, one for the photographer’s commercial site, and the last one that actually takes you to a separate website. The first two options take you into a the photographic website that then has tabs on the top of the page that take you to the different areas of the website, just like the bottom on the entry page. Overall the website is a good website, the website looks and feels to me like it’s not a professional website, it feels more like an entry level website. This websites weakness to me is in the overall look and feel to the site being more a cookie cutter standard website.

http://blrphoto.com/ This website has a very simple but professional looking entry page that has options to take you to the photographer’s different web pages or sites. Unlike the previous website this photographer actually has different websites for their wedding and portrait work. They also have has a separate site for their blog. Each site has a very professional look and feels to them everything is easy to access and find, each of the photo sites has flash players with music to showcase their photographic work. Overall I think this in a strong professional photography website.

http://waynewallace.com/photoblog/ This website looks more like a glamour site to me. The look website is in the blog style rather than a professional style site. The photographer has all the information you would need in professional website like contact information, pricing. The site has different tabs for an about page, a portfolio page, a product and services page, and a for photography only page. Overall I think this website is a little weak on the professional style, yet a blog it is interesting and the photographer still comes off as being a professional.

After looking over these websites and other I have a better Idea of what my website should look like if I want to be taken seriously and to be looked at as a professional.

Week 4 EOC: Writing a contract

As a photographer asked to shoot a small event for a charge of $500 or less what would be the minimums that I would need to have in a contract. To start off I would need to have the clients name and address, then the location of the shoot. After that I would want to have the date of the event and the times for which I will be responsible to be there at the location. Then I would need to have a date or set amount of time described to have proofs ready for the client to review. I might also put in the contract the minimum and maximum amount of photographs the client can expect from the event. After this would be a section to spell out some of the details and expectations for me as a photographer in what I expect and for the client in what he or she can expect. Item like travel expenses, meals, parking, etc may need to be included in the contract depending on the event. Next would be a line or two about deposits and when and why they may or may not be returned. Following that would be what the client can expect concerning the proofs and what he or she will need to do with the proofs in order to finalize the editing and ordering of final prints process. Then I may have some verbiage about what may be expected of the client during the photo shoot to be able to obtain the desired photographs. Lastly I would have some verbiage about copyrights of the images and what the client or myself as the photographer will be able to do with the photographs. The last item on the contract would be a place for the client and myself to sign, print, and date as well as print addresses and phone numbers.

BOC Week 3: Sports Photo

There are many type of sports photography; this is an example of youth sports photography. As in any sport there are many opportunities to take pictures during the course of the event, yet being in the right place at the right time can bring the best results. Learning to see the sporting event through the lens of a camera literally is the only way to be ready to capture the shot when it presents itself. This sounds easier than it actually is most of the time. It is an art to anticipate where the next play may happen, or where to stand to be able to capture the most and best action.

I adjusted the colors in lightroom to give it the extra feel I wanted in this shot, other than that it is the way it looked straight out of the camera. I liked this shot for the way that it is framed, as well as the way the white side line runs thru the frame. I also love the way the sky blew out in an ark across the horizon to just above the ball. The long shadows also create interesting lines on the field.

Week 3 EOC: Where are you now and where are you going?

Often in life I have to ask ourselves where am I and where am I going? I had to ask myself this same question almost three years ago when I was laid off from my job. The construction market was on a terrible down turn and things didn’t look like they would be getting better anytime soon. So I prepared for the worst, luckily I had some money put away it wasn’t much but it got us through that first year as I looked for work and decided to go back to school. The next year hit us even harder and I had to give up quite a bit more than I thought I Ire going to have to. I turned the vehicle I had that had a monthly payment back over to the bank and declared bankruptcy. One thing I thought I would never have to do.  Even though I was working fulltime it was still hard to keep up with things while going to school full time.
So that is where I’m coming from, so where does that put me currently? Well it puts me almost done with school, still working fulltime and going to school fulltime. I have finally managed to make ends meet for the most part by taking on a better position with the job I have as well as working to build my own cliental for my own business. Little by little I will be trying to put money away for that rainy day as well as start again a savings for retirement. I plan to again buy some stocks and bonds using a mutual fund like I have had before. This will give me a place to stash away some money for retirement each month in a place where that money can earn interest and grow.

BOC Week 2: Crime Scene



With only a week to come up with a concept for a crime scene I began to try and figure out some ideas. This photograph of a crime scene is not the typical crime scene with tape and photo markers. This is more of a crime scene you would find before the police got to the scene. I wanted to make the viewer think of the different possibilities and scenarios of what could have happened. Could this be a murder in the snow? Not being able to see the figured upper body it can let the imagination tell the story. The sled in the foreground covering part of a chunk of wood also lets the mind wander could this be the murder weapon? Not all crime scenes have blood and guts all over the place. The lack of blood could indicate that the body has been in that position for a long period of time frozen and preserved until it was uncovered of found.
This image was shot on a sledding trip up near brain head ski resort. Sometimes you plan for these types of things with a specific goal or image in mind and sometimes things present themselves and you have to be ready to catch the shot. This happens to be one of those times the person in the photograph is a friend of mine who happened to be building a snow tunnel as I watched him climb and crawl in and out if this little cave I began snapping some images trying to find the best way to illustrate my idea. When going through the images when I got home I saw this one and knew that I had capture the shot I was going for. Accident or just being able to recognize an opportunity when it’s presented well I guess that is for you to decide when you view the final image.

Week 2 EOC: Sacrifices

What personal sacrifices would I be willing to make for a professional career? This was something I had to ask myself before going back to school. By making the commitment to go back to school for my bachelor’s degree in photography I had to sacrifice time with my wife and children to do so. I work full time and go to school full time so that does not leave a whole lot of time left over to do family stuff. To some this may not seem like much, but to someone who loves to be with his family it has been difficult. Some moment in life pass by and you never get a chance to relive those moments, moments like my youngest son learning to crawl and taking his first steps. Now I haven’t had to give up or sacrifice those moments 100% and yes I have had to arrange, and then re-arrange my schedule so that I could be around for as many of those moments as possible. I have also had to sacrifice some classes at school because of working full time and here in the near future I will probably have to sacrifice a good job so that I can finish school to be able to work and have a career in photography which is my passion. I will also be sacrificing a sure paycheck for a career that will only be as lucrative as I make it by the sweat of my brow and my hard work. Yet when I am able to do the things I love and support my family doing it, all the sacrifices will be worth it in the end. The hard work and sacrifices I am making now while I am in school will also prepare me for any I will have to make after I graduate.

Week 1 BOC: Self Portrait

What do you think of when you think of a single image that defines yourself, well for me it is my 68 mustang. This car is not in pristine condition nor is it currently running. It is you could say a work in progress; I wanted to use this symbolism for my assignment. I did not want to do the traditional self portrait of myself and figured this was the perfect way to describe myself in a single photograph. I like this car have been a little bruised and worn over the years, yet with a little elbow grease the car and myself can and will be right as rain again one day. It also represents how you can take an old car and turn it into something new again, like myself having gone back to school to get a degree in a totally different field than I was working making myself new and improved again.
The lighting I used for this shot was a simple two light set up with a long exposure. I chose to shoot at night to be able to achieve the look I wanted. In the non edited photo this image does not look like much and I do not believe in a lot of photo manipulation with my photographs. The effect comes from adding a filter in post to lighten the shadow areas and to enhance brighter areas. I am a fan of the old aged look in photographs as well as black and white photography, so in this the final image I wanted to bring out the details light in a black and white photograph while making it look somewhat aged.

Week 1 EOC: Haute Couture

What is haute couture? “Haute Couture is a French phrase for high fashion.  Couture means dressmaking, sewing, or needlework and haute means elegant or high, so the two combined imply excellent artistry with the fashioning of garments.” (http://www.fashion-era.com/haute_couture.htm#What Is Haute Couture?) Haute Couture is not something that I am familiar with other than with what it looks like when shown in movies.  This style of fashion is for the ultra rich, those individuals that have money to pay for the exclusive handmade clothing. “A model haute couture garment is made specifically for the wearer's measurements and body stance.” (http://www.fashion-era.com/haute_couture.htm#What Is Haute Couture?) For this reason haute couture is known around the world, shaping fashion to the current trend over the years.
So it is easy to see how haute couture has not only changed fashion but shaped it over the years, so why is this important to me as a photographer? “Since its inception in the 1880s, the fashion photograph has generated criticism. Some photographers consider it too commercial, an impure application of the art form. It has sometimes been dismissed as frivolous and criticized for promoting negative stereotypes. Yet it has generated some of the most widely recognizable, provocative, and enduring imagery of our time.” (http://zoomonme.com/main.php?g2_itemId=394) “Today many fashion photographers, such as Mario Testino (b. 1954), are as famous as the celebrities who pose for them. The cult of the star fashion photographer began in earnest in 1966 with Antonioni's cult film Blowup.” (http://zoomonme.com/main.php?g2_itemId=394) Haute Couture continues to set the trend in high fashion and in photography; this is why it is important to me as a photographer. It is important for the fashion photograph to know where he came from in order to know where he or she is going.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

As a young boy I can remember picking up a national geographic not for the wonderful stories inside, but for the magical images within those pages. Seeing those images I was hooked on photography, wanting to be the next national geographic photographer, to be shipped all over the world exploring distant lands with only a backpack full of essentials and a camera. This of course sparked in me a passion of and for outdoor and nature photography, I also have a love of shooting people photography in its many different forms. Photography is an art and its medium is light, light comes in two forms nature light and artificial light. Being able to see the way light creates, defines, or takes away from an image what defines a photographer and as a result it reflects in his or her work.  I am somewhat of a purist when it comes to my photography, while I know it is not always possible to get everything 100% perfect in the camera that is my goal each and every time I shoot. I have come to appreciate photo editing software more I learn how to use the different programs. Yet I still believe that a photographer must first capture the image correctly in the camera with proper use of that camera. If you take a crappy photo and edit it to death in photoshop no matter what the outcome or how nice it looks afterwards in my opinion you still have a crappy photo. If you take a beautiful photo and then no matter what you do to that photo you still have a beautiful photo.