Ancient Pompeii

These are all the images from Pompeii that I wanted to post. We drove out of Naples to walk up the slopes of Vesuvius earlier that morning. Clouds enveloped the volcano and I got few usable images but by the time we arrived in Pompeii the sky had cleared up.

Processing these photos demonstrated how the color I choose for each image varies widely. Compare, for example, the first two images posted here. Notice how different the color space of the two.

How should I handle color in a series of images? I could strive for consistency and correct the white balance but then I lose the advantage of the "magic hour" light when I take the photos. On the other hand I could process each photo on its own merits and create the color balance I want but then the series will show the variations as if the images had been taken on different days.
Another area of consideration is cropping. Most images are composed as I want to compose them at the time I shoot them. But I like 16 x 9 widescreen images because I want these images to be usable in widescreen videos that I want to put together. Some images look best in other cropping shapes. For instance I like some images to be even wider than tall to emphasize scope while perfectly square images sometimes work best.

Having stopped doing my tutorials in Photoshop, I am using this time to learn more about the aesthetics of digital imaging. Then again I may be simply indulging myself. I do think I am learning just by using the software but I think it is time to go back to the tutorials.
Taking photographs on a group tour has its limitations as well. Other people get in the way and the tour moves at a pace different from how I would like to move. I often don't have time to compose an image the way I want to. Most of my images are shot quickly.

There are advantages to shooting quickly. Chance makes me take images outside what I would normally do and broadens my scope with surprise. I do know though that a professional shoot would involve taking the time not only to find the best locations or compositions but also to set up the camera correctly.
On the other hand, working quickly is balanced by the spontaneousness of the shots I take. Other people's energy influence mine. This is one reason I love shooting models, not just people I recruit in the moment. Models have their own ideas for the images and our energies together create something better than if I were working solo.

I need not only to go back to doing active learning with both photography and post-production but also review what my goals are in photography. I can then map out the direction I want to pursue and shape my web galleries in that direction as well.