The Magician’s Secrets

Do you want to know the magician’s secrets?

Well MB is not going to tell you!

But MB has been asked the following question more times than he has had bacon & egg for breakfast and wants to come clean with an answer: ‘How come you take such totally awesome pics MB? MB always answers as follows: ‘Thanks mom. Because you created a pic genius all those years ago. BTW, did MB have a camera in his hand when he arrived in the maternity ward?‘. Mom of MB (MOMMB) has never truthfully answered MB’s question, presumably because she thinks MB is joking when he asks. But in fairness to MOMMB, MB has also never truthfully answered her question. Never until now that is.

Photographers like to give the impression that their good pics are all down to some mysterious personal photo skills. That photographers are some sort of ‘Pic Ninjas’. Well for the most part it’s just not true. Photographers rarely mention the time spent editing the pics after they download to their computers. The editing is no longer much of a secret anyway as all the smart phones can now download apps that do many weird and wonderful things with your average photo. Editing for the masses. Everyone can now be a Pic Ninja!

Very often, MB is too tired or just couldn’t be bothered doing any editing of the pics before he puts up on the blog posts – like the pics on last night’s post. If MB does some edit on the pics you will see the copyright logo and MB’s website name on the bottom of the pic, as the editing software he uses (called ‘Lightroom’) has the copyright info as an editing default.

And why bother stamping the pics with any copyright info MB? you are all asking. Well lads, just in case National Geographic or Time or Vogue might try to copy them for free and keep all the ensuing loot for themselves. MB is of course totally delusional. Many hobby shooters put on copyright info and are just as delusional as MB. MB just joined the club.

MB has heard it said in the past, and at one time agreed with the sentiment, that editing is cheating to some degree. However, the photo that any camera takes is not as the human eye sees it. No camera can match the eye. So by doing some editing, you get the chance to bring the photo on the camera back to as close as possible as what the eye actually saw. Out here in the Middle East for example has very bright sun 365 days per year. So even with the best camera the pics are just too bright and need a little contrast added as a minimum during editing, generally speaking.

Of course there are many rules of photography that can ensure a high percentage of good pics and it’s not all about editing or photoshopping. The composition of the photograph is all important and has nothing to do with editing. And of course all rules are there to be broken by those who are looking to raise the bar or just to do something different.

But MB’s post today is about editing. So just to show you the difference that a small amount of editing can make, MB is giving you some of the unedited pics from last night’s post side by side with the same pics after a little editing – done by MB when he awoke all bright eyed & bushy tailed this morning on first day of Eid public holiday! And as you can also see, MB is far from an expert at this editing lark!

Herewith: