What to do with a lackluster photo

One evening I went down to the creek running west of the house. I had my camera, just in case. I got close to the bank, and I heard some splashing. Having stepped over a couple crushed cans of Four Loco, I wasn't sure what to expect, but luckily, three deer were crossing to the other side. I grabbed some shots, but they turned out to be worse than lackluster, they stunk.

However, heading back, I heard a rising chorus of honking. Geese! To the south is Riverside Cemetery, where artist Grant Wood is buried. On it's south side, a branch of the creek ends. There's a little island of sorts, and that's where the geese like to congregate. Several times a day, they go back and forth, south to north, north to south. This time it was south to north. They fly so low, they look as if they could clip the power lines.

Trying to zoom in and focus during dusk is not fun. I believe I used the sports setting to help freeze the action. The above shot is the best one of the bunch, but it obviously needs some work. Let's play!

I erased the partial bird on the left and a speck on the right. Hmm, it's better, but not really. How about antiquing it?

Applying a sepia tone ages it, allowing one to forgive some of the flaws. Crop it to balance the image; it's heavier on the right, but at the same time, you're drawn to the straggler on the left. Doing this may not work for every borderline photo, but you'll never know unless you try. I printed this out as a 5x7. This flying foursome will look very nice in a simple black frame!