Some afternoons ago, I headed over to Guitar Center. Guess why. (If you didn’t guess “to look at guitars,” you’re either really paranoid and suspicious of rhetorical questions, or you’re on this page but not really paying attention to what you’re reading. If it’s the latter, then that makes two of us. I think we both need to take a break and have some hot chocolate.)

Anyway. Where was I? Oh, yeah. I had my camera with me, and the wall-to-wall guitars of all colors and funky shapes almost gave me shutter paralysis. You know the feeling. It’s the same feeling my stomach gets when faced with rows and rows of food on buffet tables where everything looks so good that you don’t know where to start. (And half the time, you end up wondering if you can use the tray as your plate. But not me. I just heard some people feel that way. Really. I’m not some people.)

I wasn’t sure if I should try to shoot some photos in the store. I was afraid that some sales associate there (who’s probably almost half my age) would yell, “hey lady, you’re not supposed to be taking any pictures in here!” from across the room. Then everyone would turn and stare at me as I try to apologize while slinking behind the largest amp I can find.

But I did manage to take a few stolen shots here and there.

See how shaky my hand was for fear of being caught? Of course, it only occurred to me after the fact that I could have just walked up to the manager and asked for permission to take photos in the store. Sometimes, I forget that I’m a grown up.

Oh well. Maybe next time. The worst that can happen is that they’ll say no. Then I’ll pout a little bit, feel sorry for myself, then go back to taking pictures on the sly.

Nah. I’m just saying that, but truth is, I’m a scaredy cat who doesn’t like to break the rules. I mean, I could if I wanted to, but my stomach begins making weird noises, my hands get clammy, and my conscience starts bothering me so much that I end up confessing my deed and wind up in a blubbering puddle of tears on the floor.

It’s really not a pretty sight. Kinda wet and messy, too.

Thank you for listening to me air out my issues. I hope it doesn’t scare you away. Hello? You still there?

Can I lure you back with a tritone version of that guitar photo?

Please. Don’t leave.

I was so impressed with the discovery that flawed photos can be salvaged that it was naturally the first thing I posted in this mini-series. But another thing I found really interesting was that adding drama to an otherwise ordinary picture can be so easy and oh-so-worth-it that a great bonus is that I’m learning to train my eye to see beauty where it isn’t readily obvious.

So my third entry will be semi-philosophical. Why? Because I said so, and I need to feel smart and profound for once in my life. (Oh great, now I’ll be hearing both Sinatra’s and Stevie Wonder’s voice in my head all day.)

What I learned at the CS3 Power Tour:

3. If you can perceive something beautiful or visual interesting hidden in a photo somewhere, CS3 can readily help you unearth and expose it.

So here’s a small yellow flower I snapped this summer while vacationing in Trinidad. It was a pretty little thing, but the wall there prevented me from taking a frontal shot. I know, I know. I could have walked in there and taken it anyway. But we were visiting some relatives, and I don’t think they would have liked it if I stepped on their nice cordoned off garden to take a picture of this little flower. I should also note that I was starving at that time, and was more than mildly distracted by the smell of lunch cooking.

Oh, and I used my trusty videocamera to take this shot, so I know it won’t win any awards for quality or clarity. But that’s what makes this so great. (Frankly, I would have forgotten all about this photo if Scott Kelby hadn’t used a similar flower shot to demonstrate how to artfully use lighting effects.)

First, I cloned out the other stems and the little bud on the lower right. And while I liked the little bit of orange in the background, I cloned that out too because it just didn’t really belong there. (Although now I’m thinking maybe it does, but that’ll be another experiment.) Then I hit Auto Levels (hey, he said I could!) and already it started looking a lot better.

Nice, I thought. Then I added some lighting effects (I followed the workbook and used flashlight), sharpened it up a bit here and there. Then, for good measure, I slapped it on a poster. Just because I can (thanks to the seminar), and because I never know when to stop myself. Which is fine when it comes to Photoshop with the undo levels, but not so fine when it comes to chocolates and home-baked pies. Or cookies. Or cinnamon rolls.

So here’s the before and after comparison:

Now it actually looks like art. Doesn’t it?

Please tell me it does.