Photography is like a lot of creative endeavors in that there is a gap between the initial vision and the finished product that isn't necessarily fun or pretty, just required.
When I built my shed last Summer, I had this grand vision and design, but still had to go through the often unpleasant process of actually constructing the darn thing. Now that it's done, I have this wonderful structure to fill with the junk that was cluttering up the garage.
Post processing is the photographic equivalent of building a shed. You have your initial photo and like it, but need to take it through a good editor to fine tune the rough edges and make it just right. This part isn't always fun and has a learning curve, but at least you won't get skinned knuckles from it.
Relax and enjoy the hobby. take lots of photos and loot at either Lightroom or Aperture as an editor. Both of them should use all of those NIK plugins you have. Check them out on-line and watch the endless stream of video tutorials available before you make a decision.
Dale
When I built my shed last Summer, I had this grand vision and design, but still had to go through the often unpleasant process of actually constructing the darn thing. Now that it's done, I have this wonderful structure to fill with the junk that was cluttering up the garage.
Post processing is the photographic equivalent of building a shed. You have your initial photo and like it, but need to take it through a good editor to fine tune the rough edges and make it just right. This part isn't always fun and has a learning curve, but at least you won't get skinned knuckles from it.
Relax and enjoy the hobby. take lots of photos and loot at either Lightroom or Aperture as an editor. Both of them should use all of those NIK plugins you have. Check them out on-line and watch the endless stream of video tutorials available before you make a decision.
Dale