Nice Girls, Enhanced

    I used to agonize over whether or not it was a good idea to edit photographs. Surely to alter the original image was a terrible sin; a betrayal of the truth! But now I know the truth about the truth of a picture.
    A photo is more than just an image on paper. Done right, pictures show a heart. When you enhance the picture to its fullest potential, you are revealing a heart that was already there.

    So, here are four Nice Girls With Cameras, enhanced. 




    This one is so beautiful I could get lost in it. My sister Rebekah is showing the more peaceful side of her nature here, and I brightened the white and softened the lines to enhance the mood of purity and quiet. She's sitting on a tree stump in a particularly picturesque spot behind the aspen grove in front of our house, one of her favorite haunts.

    This is of Marissa. (She sure has a great grin.) We had a good time that day, so I tried to give it the feeling of a happy memory (or a dream), with a delightful subject but wistful colors.

    I know photographers are supposed to have the ability to make their subjects laugh, but under that kind of pressure my comedic talents, such as they are, disappear. Luckily it's easy to make Marissa laugh.

     

    Here's Brianna, Marissa's sister. This scene was so limpid and sweet to begin with that I almost left well enough alone, but a brightening of the colors and a softening of the many sharp lines brought about a more eloquent expression of Brianna's personality. Look at the sun on the the ferns! And please note how nice her hair looks. Marissa and I spent a long time curling it. 

  

    My complexion was regrettable that day, owing to a slight breakout and makeup that didn't quite match my skin tone. Brightening the light did wonders for the photo, and these colors look old-fashioned somehow, and enhance the shabby-farm-girl look. Maybe the cat-eye makeup doesn't coordinate so well, but one just can't pass up a chance to wear it.

    I took the first two photos, and I'm not sure who took the second two. They were all incredibly fun to tinker with. There are so many effects that look wonderful on some pictures and don't on others, which seems to show a personality from photo to photo that is extremely intriguing. Anyways, I hope you enjoy them. More are coming soon.

XOX, Hannah