Is it cheating to use photoshop?

Photoshop is an amazing program.  Now I know where all the 'incredibly unbelievable' shots come from that I see frequently posted of places I've seen in person that I don't remember looking quite so vibrant.  I have spent the last week playing with it and although it's time consuming, the results can be fantastic. Having said that...I still feel like it's cheating to use it.

What do you think?

Here is a photo I took back in 2010 as it was shot.

This is with a little bit of playing on my part. It was mostly to see how much I could do without it looking fake.  I am sure it's an art to use PS...and this was my first try.


Does it make a difference to you when you look at a photo if it's been photo shopped or not?

How much is too much?

Monterey and Carmel, California

Monterey and Carmel, California

On March 26, 2002, while we were visiting northern California, we visited Monterey and Carmel. It was gorgeous as usual.

Heavenly Ski Resort

Hi there,

I'm new to blogging and I have to admit, until a few days ago, I hadn't even read many except when I was sent specific links. So, what am I doing here? Well, I was told blogging would be good for me. The problem I had was trying to figure out what to write about. I would be happy to talk about my three beautiful girls and all the stories I've accumulated with them over the years...but they might not like that. :)

Luckily, I do have some photographs and tidbits about traveling that don't involve ruining my kids' lives...well not too much anyway. Hopefully, I'll post a photo or share a story from somewhere you would like to go or maybe even one where you've been.

So, I guess that explains the traveling part of my blog name...as for the leprechaun part, it was just another hint to everyone who loves me that one day, I hope to get to Ireland.

I couldn't pick a favorite place to start with, so I chose one of my husband's favorite places in the world, Lake Tahoe, California.

These were taken on a relatively clear day, December 18th, 2012 and the snow was still clinging to the branches.