Jan 10
When does a photograph not lie?
Musings on photo editing, part 1
Remember when they used to say that a photo never lies?
Well, they may have been a bit too blue-eyed even in the old days of analogue. There was a lot more going in the darkroom than simple film development. But by and large, a photo didn’t lie. Those darkroom wizards aside, the majority of photographers (pros and home snappers alike) settled with reality as it was, warts and all.
Then came computers. Then came digital cameras. And now, Adobe is prepping Photoshop CS5 with some really cool new tools that takes manipulation to whole new heights and it’s not like the photo editing tools have been bad so far either.
Regular readers of this blog (yes, I mean both of you) know that I have a very conservative stance on a photo manipulation. I just simply prefer to make my images in the camera, that’s all – it’s a personal challenge, but it’s not an absolute and I’m prepared to venture out if the occasion calls. Dust spec removal, levels adjustment, saturation etc have always been part of my toolbox and I don’t consider those any more manipulation than choosing the composion, aperture and shutter speed in the camera. Manipulation to me is when you start adding or removing things in the picture – physical things like buildings, radio masts, trees etc.
It seems like I’m getting a bit more relaxed about my attitude towards editing (manipulating) my pictures, so I guess it’s just a matter of giving it time. I try to keep Lightroom as my one-stop shop for photo processing and the clone/heal heal tool has its restrictions. In any case, I’m gradually doing more retouching in my pictures, beyond Lightroom. Nothing drastic, but removing occasional stray branches or grass blades is not the moral dilemma it used to be. White lies… bending the truth a little bit?
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An un-edited version of the above picture is here. And yes, it’s a zoo animal, another thing that requires disclosure. Just take a look at what happened with the winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. A stunning picture whether it’s a tame wolf or not, but if it is tame… then I would sure like to know it. The end result doesn’t count if you’re not honest about it!
9 comments
If we have the possibility to enhance our pictures, then why not? As long as you don’t claim an enhanced photo unenhanced, I see no issues what so ever.
I write in some cases: “this picture was unedited” if I need to stress it, and then again, I virtually never write “this was edited”, unless there was some serious manipulation…
“Åh! Jag känner fjällvinden vina runt öronen, ensam med myskoxen på den Grönländska tundran. Jag har följt honom oavbrutet i två veckor, och till slut låter han mig komma så nära att jag kan känna myskdoften – och ta en bild!”
Men vafalls?! Spåren av en bortklonad granbuske i bakgrunden? Det finns inga granar på Grönland! Förfuskat! Evig skam och nesa! Ingenstans kan man finna Sanningen längre!
Actually, there’s at least three readers here, if we count that abnormally writing swede in
Leffe, du kan skriva engelska, jag är helt säkert om det!
Minna, if you haven’t shown the original, I wouldn’t have noticed any manipulation in the picture. It is fair to tell what you have done, ty 4 that & much appreciated! Not all of us share the truth, and that’s a shame. I don’t know what to think about timed exposures, timed launches, timed & computerized procedures in wildlife photography. -Who has taken the picture of that wolf, if the photographer was sleeping a good night’s sleep at home/lodge..yeah, I thought so too.
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“Abnormally writing”, I’ll take that as a compliment!
Änd aj kän rajt in äny längwitch – it wouldn’t always be that easy to understand, though.
It’s just the way it comes out of my brain, Rane!
As long as I understand what is written, any language is fine with me.
Asiaan liittyvä artikkeli (article in Finnish)
Over at Scott Kelby’s blog, another view of the same topic. Check out that film – amazing to see the transformation of the pictures! Now I wish that I could learn that process, how to turn an average picture into a real piece of art.
Thanks for that link Minna! It was nice to see him showing the process. And the reasoning was good as well. Context and intent makes the whole difference.