Tall Ships Boston – 2009
Originally uploaded by mediaguy4

Photography is one of my favorite hobbies, it’s relaxing and challenging at the same time.  I’ve also found that focusing on still images has helped me better understand a develop my skills in my profession, video and TV production.

This particular shot was taken aboard the Portuguese Navy Ship, NRP Sagres III, while I was visiting Boston for Tall Ships 2009.  Sagres III was built in 1937 and was incredible, although the long lines prevent anyone from taking too much time touring the vessel.

This photo was one of the better shots from on-board the ship, I liked the composition and thought it might have some potential with a bit of post processing.

As an experiment, I decided to try out the free on-line photo editing tools on Flickr.com. I had recently joined the Flickr community and ran across the “Edit Photo” button.  Curious, I clicked

and wondered how good or bad it would be.  As a Photoshop user of 15 years I knew a free web based photo editor would not compete, so my expectations were very low.

Flickr uses Picnik, a third-party on-line photo editing service which offers both Free and Premium features.  Where this was just an experiment I opted for the free service.

Surprisingly, it was full of features, and the results were impressive!

I quickly added a sepia tone to the image, rounded the edges, added a thin border, text…bang….Not bad!

For those who are not looking to invest the time and money into a professional application like Photoshop,  Picnik is a fun little service with lots of neat features.

Beware!  There are “Premium Feature” teases all over the website offering expanded controls and clip art type effects you can add to your photos.  The premium service is reasonable at $24.95 per year.  Although I was unable to test them out, I was impressed to see features such as: Levels, Curves, Dodge, Burn, Clone, even Wrinkle Remover!  Ahh…Technology!

I always love to hear feedback on my photos, this particular image was fun to work on and open my eyes onto a neat company.