My father-in-law, Pastor Bower and his wife Vicki have a lovely golden retreiver.  Her name is Ginger.   During our latest visit, I snuck in some shots of this sweet family animal.  Doesn’t she looks oh-so-happy to be Critter of the Week?

I feel like I am kinda getting the handle on this Aperture Priority setting…its slow going but I feel way more comfortable now after shooting a bunch with it.  Hopefully the knowledge sticks.  I will say this – I learned how to adjust the exposure compensation for brighter pictures.  So both of these photos have +0.3 step to make them seem lighter.  Also, I have been learning more and more about Photoshop.  I’ll explain more after you take a look at the photos.

ISO – 400  F-number F/5  Shutter Speed 1/256

ISO – 400  F-number F/5  Shutter Speed 1/332

Okay.  So photoshop has been hard for me to grasp.  I know…it may seem like I have a handle on it…but I am really good at faking it.  That’s what she said 🙂   Anyhoo.  Enter Pioneer Woman’s photography blog and her photoshop actions.  The free set of actions have really helped.  After I downloaded them off her blog, I went to exploring all the possibilities.  Basically, they helped take my humdrum photos to the next level.  Just check out the before and after shots of Ginger:

 

I love how she looks warmer and more like the focal point of the photo.  Sure, I am still learning but the point is that I am improving right?  And if the barn needs painting, or photoshopping, paint it 🙂

For the links to download your own Pioneer Woman Photoshop actions…click here 🙂 And if you have any other photoshop info you want to share – please do…every little bit of advice helps!