Cooking it up

I'm never sure if we should just post straight pictures and how much room there is on Blipfoto for a manipulated shot.  I've chosen the latter today and would argue that, as photo enthusiasts in pre-digital days, we pushed film speeds for increased grain, we dodged and burned our prints in the darkroom to alter the balance between dark and light, we pushed development times for greater contrast, we enlarged and cropped, we used infra-red film for its eerie monochrome renditions of colour, we cooked up multiple exposures and selective colour processing, and would have done a heck of a lot more if only the capabilities of camera, chemicals and enlarger had permitted. So, why not use the modern equivalents and all the capabilities that digital manipulation offers us? My pic taken today of sheep grazing up by Montal has been Photoshopped (why does that always sound as if you just push one button and get the result you wanted, when in actuality, it is a creative process in itself?).  Just a little change to overall contrast and saturation, a rebalancing of shadows and mid-tone contrast, a crop towards the main interest and an application of the cut out filter.  I like the result.  As for our day: I redrafted a, now lengthy, report whilst N worked tirelessly in the garden.  Later we walked up by Montal and then I cooked my special spicy sausage and bean casserole with tomatoes, chorizo, garlic, rosemary and thyme, topped with breadcrumbs mixed with more garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and lemon juice, finished under the grill.  Yummmm!