F-Stopps by David So

Left: Original, Middle: Old Editing, Right: New Editing (and yes, the middle one is a different photo, but burst mode makes it almost all the same) So this is strange post... but hey, it's about photography and I enjoy photography. I've done portraits for a year or so, and I've always done them the same way. Shoot RAW, import to Photoshop, adjust white balance, blacks, whites, shadows, highlights, as needed, boost contrast and vibrance, then export to JPEG. Easy, simple, done. Well, today, I figured that I could really still improve. So I sat down, watched a 23 min long YouTube video, and spent the next few hours tackling old portraits and honing my skills. Above, you see Savanna, one of the people from my prom group. When I did my first edit a couple of months ago, I wasn't SUPER happy with how it turned out. It wasn't bad per say, but the lighting on her face was off (she was under some branches which gave in unfavorable shadowing). Yet, at the time, I...

Last week, my friends and I jumped into my friends car and took an adventure off into the back roads of Oregon. After taking a break in a random field and jamming out on a guitar and a ukulele, we decided that it was time to head home. Then the fun part began. Rather than just reversing the same route that we took to get there, my friend started going in a completely new direction. We adventured down the gravel roads, kicking up dirt and dust (funnily enough, my friend had just washed his car...). After a bit, we asked if he knew where he was. "Nope, not really." But we kept on driving. Eventually, we hit a road which we recognized and we got back home and that was that. So is that it? Ha ha! NO. Along the way we discovered a lot of really cool new places, places that I think I'm gonna try to visit again. Along the way, we jammed out to Switchfoot, singing at the top of lungs. Along the way, we made memories. I think many times it's tempting to ...

F-Stopps? Wat? Well, I wanted F-Stops, but the domain was taken, so, like the cool 21st century youth that I am, I change the spelling (duh!). But why even F-Stop(p)s? Well, f-stop is a photography term for aperture (that's a whole science lesson there). But for me, (and to keep the cool title), f also stands for faith. Faith stops. Stops? Yeah. Faith stops to listen to God. To listen to what He says. It's pretty easy to run around in life, never taking a break, always GO GO GO GO. To be Martha so to speak (Luke 10:38-42). But, while doing is important, listening and learning is also important as well (Mary). So, here, I'll be talking about life lessons and all that kinda good stuff and what I'm learning. So, join the ride! It should be fun. (oh, and because I do love photography, expect photos as well). Remember. Stop and listen to what God has to say in your life. Because if you do, you'll be changed. God Bless, David