Time for another Rework Wednesday! This is where I take an old photo from my gallery that makes me cringe over how I originally re-touched it and give it new life! This time I chose a photo from 2017 – a macro shot of a cucumber beetle peering at me from behind a sunflower petal.

Isn’t he a lil’ cutie pie? But it was hard to see his features, and that sky was SO bland!

I was very much into (over) using Vingetting to darken the edges of my photos back then. But on this one, it looks like I also used the Photoshop Lighting Effects (a feature that’s sadly been retired) to brighten and put the focus on the beetle face. At the time, a friend of mine really liked this edited photo, so I sent her a canvas print for her birthday. But looking at it now makes me feel bad that I sent her such a cringey gift.  UGH! THAT GREEN TONE!!

Honestly, clouds make photos look better! Overlaying a picture I took of a random sky was just the contrasting color and texture this photo needed. I’m happy with this…for now anyway. I’m obviously not the type of photographer who can settle for “good enough.” I actually love change and find it to be the most important move in the dance of life. Adapting ourselves to our environment is only difficult when you resist change.