Lens-Artists Challenge #382 – Rejected

Captures from Finland, lens-artists

This week, Egidio has encouraged us to showcase some of our rejected alongside our edited images to highlight the contrasts. I’ve encountered photographers who view editing as “cheating,” believing it undermines the integrity of the moment captured. Nevertheless, I regard editing as an equally vital skill as the art of photographing a subject or scene. It empowers us to emphasize particular features, enhance colors, and evoke emotions that may not be as prominent in the unedited image. Ultimately, the final image should represent not just what was observed but also the artist’s unique vision and perspective. By embracing both photography and editing, we can elevate our creations and convey more impactful stories through our visuals.

These are all from my visit to Hvitträsk and its surroundings some year ago except the last one. That was a so bad I did not pay any attention to it at all at the time, I just remember being very disappointed in it. I should have binned it, but luckily now with my approved editing skills I was able to do something with it.

The original image was flat and boring, and I never got around to publishing it, even though the picture has many layers and good elements. Perhaps I didn’t initially realize to crop it enough; for some reason, I wanted the trunk of the pine tree in the image even though it didn’t really fit there. The sky had remained flat and nothing really stood out.

Nature shines

I was drawn to this blurry image; there was something about it that appealed to me, so I decided to rework it in the hope that it would present better with a slight adjustment of contrast and colors. The top of the image was slightly overexposed and clearly out of focus. I am not entirely satisfied with the edit as the colors changed too much from the original—primarily because I try to keep the image as natural as possible.

This could fall into the same category as the previous post, but this is in many parts very unfocused,

A dimly lit dining room featuring long wooden table in Hvitträsk

A dimly lit dining room with a long wooden table covered in a white tablecloth, adorned with orange fabric. Red upholstered leather benches line the walls, and a decorative chandelier hangs from the ceiling. In the image above, there is a lot of good, but the picture was left languishing in the archives a bit subdued, and I couldn’t find its purpose; now I decided to boldly edit it in a more cinematic direction. I spent some time battling against making it too colorful, so the third edit is the final result 👇, where I wanted to bring the fabric on the table into focus with light.

A dimly lit dining room with a long wooden table covered in a gray tablecloth, adorned with orange fabric. Red upholstered benches line the walls, and a decorative chandelier hangs from the ceiling.
A dimly lit dining room featuring long wooden tables and contrasting red seating, evoking a warm yet subdued atmosphere.

In this last image pair, I wanted to highlight the minimalism of the previous challenge and the black-and-white image as it is a style I really enjoy. I sought to create an atmosphere in the picture and wanted to draw attention to the window and the light coming from it and how it came to the room, and eliminating most of the furniture.

In this picture, I managed to save an image that was clearly overexposed and additionally had completely off coloring. I didn’t know what I had adjusted back then, but for some reason, this remained in the archives. I couldn’t edit this photo to color, but the black and white turned out rather well.

salvation of a bad photo

I would like to extend my gratitude to Egidio for encouraging us to present some of the effort that goes into crafting an image we are proud to share. Don’t forget to check out his original post here, and remember to use the Lens-Artist Tag in your response so we can find you post.

I am grateful to all who took part in last week’s B&W / Minimalism challenge; it highlighted the remarkable power of simplicity when done effectively. I was taken aback by the amount of interest it created and glad to find out that there are so many interested in this style of photography, which emphasizes the beauty of minimalism and the striking impact of black and white imagery. This challenge inspired participants to explore their creativity among those who share a passion for this art form. I loved seeing all your contributions, as each one told a unique story and showcased different perspectives, proving that less truly can be more in the world of visual storytelling.

Lastly, we invite you to join us next week for a challenge Tina will be hosting on Travels and Trifles. In the meantime, smile and try to stay positive

We are Lens-Artists: Tina , Patti , Ann-Christine, John, Sofia , Anne , Egidio, Beth , and me Ritva,

To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.

39 thoughts on “Lens-Artists Challenge #382 – Rejected”

  4. Editing is the empowerment of our creative vision. Sometimes, when we create these new edits, we have to be bold. For example, I loved the cinematic edit you did for the dining room. Also, the transformation in your last photo is priceless. 

  6. Ritva, great examples, and I concur on editing being another part of the photographic product. Looking back at your challenge last week, I even have some carry-overs in monochrome and minimalism that I didn’t use last week.

  8. These are all cool edits, they all work. I agree with you that editing is as important as taking the initial image. People were working in darkrooms doing exactly what we’re doing with software for as long as anyone has been taking pictures (well nearly). I use a colour calibrated monitor because I had too when I was shooting weddings and being paid for that service. I’d say that investment is as important as a decent camera.

  9. Ritva, your edited images are amazing. Thanks for taking us through your editing process for each one. The final edit of the dining room table is my favorite.

  13. Great examples, Ritva, with the diningroom one a stand-out favourite.

    The first shot was a great edit too. I would have ‘walked’ past the original, but the edited version really stood out and grabbed my attention.

  14. Great examples Ritva – like Vicki I really loved the dining room edit and also think your final image conversion really saved the image. Job well done!

  15. Very nice result on the dining room shot Ritva. The original looks just a tiny bit leaning right to left (the chairs against the wall mostly). In your edit, did you level it or is it just the dim light that makes it look like that? The first edit and the final look perfectly straight to me. Just curious 🙂

  16. These are wonderful Ritva, I love what you did to the last one, the black and white or monochrome really brought out the details so much. Lucky you didn’t bin it.

  17. The mood changes so dramatically with your edits, Ritva. The dining room is a favourite, especially your first edit, I love that. And the minimalist black and white too.

  19. I really loved the dining room edit and the conversion of your final image. Great job – well done! What I expected from you indeed! You never disappoint.

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