PAD Sept 9 Wave Action on the Pacific at Lincoln City

I am experimenting with slow shutter speeds and slight intentional Camera movement. I love the sense of motion that the blurriness suggests.

On the other end of Wabi Sabi photography is the ability to make many edits using all sorts of editing software.  You can use Photoshop, Photosops with Plug-ins from Topaz, Nik, and others, and a whole host of editing software either computer based or phone/tablet based.

I play around with all of them.  It comes in waves.  There are months when I just use Lightroom to simple edit my photos.  Then there are other times when I use a whole repertoire of possible programs ranging from simple apps on my phone to much more complex programs like OnOne Raw and Photoshop various forms.

Today I played around with Topaz Studio.  I've been a Topaz fan for many years and have most of the the apps before they introduced Topaz Studio.  I have to be honest, I haven't been using Topaz lately.  I am more in a minimalist, more Wabi Sabi mood, in the past year or so.  So today, I decided to experiment with Topaz Studio.

Here's my starting image....

PAD Sept 25 Leave on our deck, the original

Just a little bit of fall when the acorns are falling and leaves fall when the winds are blowing.

Now, it's time to play.

PAD Sept 25 Leaves on our deck and variations

This photo is a slight use of a filter within Topaz.  Opacity is about 20%.  Subtle, yes; Effective for me, yes.

And then I played with more obvious filters.  Not depicting reality really.

PAD Sept 25 Leaves on our deck and variations

And then I played a bit more...Reality, distorted.

PAD Sept 25 Leaves on our deck and variations

Lots of fun to play around with filter and Topaz has a wonderful array on the computer.  I actually love to play with them and appreciate that there are apps out there that allows lots of creative expression.

Another aspect of Wabi Sabi that I discovered recently is editing in a Wabi Sabi way.

Start with Quieting your mind.  Let you mind be still as you study that photos that you created.

Seek Understanding.  Allow yourself to understand "how you might enhance" your photo so that it's closer to your mind's eye when you capture the image.

Acceptance.  While editing accept any new changes that add to your understand of what the photo might mean to you.

And, lastly, appreciate. Let your edited photo speak to you and appreciate what it is saying to you, including any new insights or realizations that you might discover.

That being said, editing is a subtle art in the Wabi Sabi tradition.  It's enhancing and enriching the image without trying to achieve perfection.  

Here are a few examples of photos that were lightly edited in the Wabi Sabi spirit.

I was walking along the street in Bacharach Germany and there was one lone blossom on the street.  I am always attracted to red and I loved the pattern of the brickwork.  Lightly editing means some clarity and maybe a bit of saturation in Lightroom.  Nothing more.

Another early morning walk in Germany and I spied these two wooden geese.  I loved the harsh shadow.  The photo is pretty much as is although I intensified the black shadow in Lightroom.  Simple edit but it goes more with my mind's eye of the image.  

I loved the way the light hit the grasses.  This is also on a walk and I had to turn around a couple of times before I decided to stop and take a shot.  I loved the light.  Editing was extremely minor.  Just clarity in LR and just a touch.

Who would think slime would look so interesting?  A sludge that created interesting lines.  Just a bit of clarity in Lightroom.  The rest is the sludge itself.  Love the pattern and the textures.

This is St John New Brunswick. I love the brickwork of the buildings here and the intricate details.  Plus seeing the paper in the early morning.  The soft colors of a New Brunswick day greeted me as I walked along.  There was a fog that just lifted.  And the colors were more brilliant.  I barely increased saturation in LR and then increased the clarity.  Not much.  Just a touch.

And who can resist a cemetery on a foggy day.  Perfect for conjuring ghouls and goblins.  Just a bit of editing; not much; it's pretty much as is.

So, you can see that Wabi Sabi editing is very light.  It lets "what is" speak for itself.  Just seeing what's in front of you is and appreciating it is what is important.