(originally posted 6/21/12)

Continuing on my train of thought for image processing, I wanted to share a quick thought that I’m trying to practice in my own digital darkroom…..walk away from the computer at times during the image development and definitely after I think I’m done with the image, and then come back and re-evaluate my work.

As I’m working an image for minutes or hours, it’s very easy to lose perspective of the changes you’ve done, of the envisioned final image, of how good or bad your processing job is.  By stepping away from the computer for 15-20 minutes, I can give my eyes and my brain a chance to reset and get a “clear” perspective on the development of the image.  I often times come back to my image and make some detailed changes to what I’ve done.  By “resetting” my eyes/brain, I can now see things I didn’t see before when I was entrenched in the image.  Sometimes though, I return and I’m quite happy with what I’ve done, my first instincts were correct in how to process the image.

In most art forms, the artist needs to sometimes step away from their work to gain a fresh perspective on what they are creating.  It’s no different with photography and the digital darkroom; it often pays to walk away for a little bit.