Since getting my new camera in October as a birthday gift, I've snapped quite a few pictures. Sometimes 10 or 12 of the same exact moment/scene, just so I can try out different settings and buttons. But I've yet to really figure out how to really use it. I mean, I know a few basics. I did take high school Photography 101, or something like that. So, while I'm still pretty rusty on the actual taking of the pictures but able to manage, editing photos is completely new to me. I don't know the first thing. Layers, filters, masks, opacity, etc. It's all gibberish. So to navigate through the new software Mark downloaded for me to use (it's FREE and called Gimp--that's all I know--and supposed to be somewhat comparable to Photoshop), I've been referring to Pioneer Woman's photography section of her blog. I love the way she explains things in terms I can understand. And while she doesn't use the same software I'm using, I can still apply several of the methods. So here's me giving a shot at 'hard lighting.' Oooh. Really fancy, huh? Oh, and I cropped it, too. I was surprisingly proud of myself for figuring that one out. Eventually I'll feel a little more comfortable with this software stuff, right? 
AFTER a layer of hard light added (or was it a filter?) plus a little cropping 
BEFORE
Can you tell? At all? Is it worth it? I like that the colors are more vibrant...everything a little more pronounced. Oh well, more on all this later. James is begging for a snack. It's that time of day!
the edited photo above....too much contrast? too dark?
the original--James LOVES shovels and brooms. When he sees them he says, "Da -da!!" very excitedly. He feels like the king of the world when he gets to carry them around.....but back to photo editing.
Part of my beef with editing photos is that I'm indecisive about what it is I really like...the above picture is after some tweaking. It's lighter, his eyes show more reflection...perhaps too washed out?
...but I sorta liked the contrast in this one, the original. What sweet cheeks!
