The bar has been raised so high in terms of excellent photography that to compete with other photographers you have to bring to the table every skill you have. In addition to outstanding composition, finding compelling subjects, and sensitivity to light and color, Photoshop expertise is a must. When pictures don't turn out perfectly as you pre-conceive them, CS3 can make them perfect - and salable.

I was recently in the Dominican Republic shooting beach scenes for a client. I know this client likes brilliant color, so I was always on the lookout for anything that could add more color to the sand and the water. I came upon this boat that was partially submerged in the sand, and I knew the subject matter worked. However, the background was a mess, the foreground sand had too much organic debris, and the name on the boat had to be eliminated. Usually end users don't want identifiable names and logos in their pictures for fear of lawsuits.

Creating the After Image
Using the side of a blue boat I photographed in Ireland last year, I replaced the white side of the submerged craft using the clone tool. I opened both photos on my desktop and cloned from one picture to the other. Then I carefully replaced the background with another shot of the ocean that was devoid of people and boats. I then cleaned up the sand using the healing brush and clone tool, and finally I cut and pasted a palm tree into the scene that had been taken on the same beach about two miles away.

To make the shadow, I pasted the palm tree into the scene again, moved it in place with the move tool, filled it with dark gray with Edit > fill, lowered the opacity of this floating layer, and then used a layer mask to eliminate the palm fronds.

Photoshop skills have significantly increased my income. Learn how to use photoshop effectively, and it can do the same for you.