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Position:Home>Visual Arts> Is an edited picture considered a "photography"?Question: Is an edited picture considered a "photography"!? I love taking pictures especially from nature!. And then i edit my shots thru an image editing software!. They turn into better shots, and i'm proud for my works!. But my sister told me a real photographer doesn't have to edit his/her shots 'coz thru their skill, they can make beautiful shots without the use of editing softwares!. Still, a lot of people give compliments when they see my snapshots, and i'm contented with that!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: THAT is a very good question!. Way back in the olden days when photography was first invented, the photographer had no choice!. He got what he got!. But, today things are different!. All professional photographers "alter" their photos in one way or another!. It could be nothing more than cropping the image, but that's still altering it!. To me, it depends on just "how much" the shot is changed to be still considered photography!. If the shot is just cropped, or the color, exposure, contrast, etc!. are changed, it IS still photography and the image WAS captured by the photographer!. But, if a moon was put in the shot that was not there in the first place, or a flower was removed that was messing up the composition, then that is stretching the point as far as I'm concerned!. The photo community does NOT agree with me though, because photo contests have winners all the time that have severely manipulated their images!. Therefore, like beauty, I guess "good photography" and a "good photograph" is in the eyes of the beholder!. Your sister's opinion, is just your sister's opinion, and nothing more!. Just continue doing whatever you're doing and have fun doing it!. If others appreciate the results, then good for you, and keep it up!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Apart from transparencies (slides) which were more or less impossible to manipulate in film days, photgraphy has always been 'edited' at the printing stage!. The big difference is that with today's methods of image capture and manipulation, editing is easier to do and to some extent less skilled!. This question is more about where you draw the line between 'allowable' manipulation and outright fakery!. It's a matter of personal opinion, but your sister seems to hold a very puritan view that would not be shared by many!. Ansel Adams, as I have remarked elsewhere, said 'The negative is the score, the print is the performance!.' This tells you everything you need to know about his attitude to 'editing'!. Unless your sister thinks, of course, that Ansel Adams has disqualified himself from being a real photographer by this statement, she's basically wrong!.Www@QuestionHome@Com In my opinion it's still a photograph!. I don't see how digital editing is any different than darkroom manipulation which is something Ansel Adams did a lot of!. His pictures were not just point, shoot & get a great image!. A "real photographer" would know that there is more to photography than pointing the camera & pushing a button!.Www@QuestionHome@Com " Real" photographers used film and there was no editing software back then so yes they did have to get it right through skill and experience!. Thanks to digital photography and editing software things are a lot easier these days but it's still better to get it right at the start than spend hours on a computer trying to make it better after!.Www@QuestionHome@Com eh, that's a bit of a contentious issue, I suppose technically if you alter an image it's no longer a pure "photograph" it's more along the lines of an "image", but if you're into that type of thing, check out some HDR images, they're not technically photographs, but they look really, really impressive if well doneWww@QuestionHome@Com Sounds like she is a purist and a bit jealous!. Who cares if you edit them!? Makes you more of an artist/photographer in my opinion!. Photoshop is an amazing tool, use it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Actually, a lot of "real" photographers edit their shots, or even have someone else do the editing for them!Www@QuestionHome@Com The big honcho "REAL" photographer, Ansel Adams used every form of darkroom manipulation possible!. He even stated in an interview (sold by PBS) that he foresaw electronics as the future of photography (digital) and hoped his negatives would be made available for any type of future manipulation!. While subject, composition, lighting and focus are all important to a strong image, editing software can be used in a variety of ways to improve an image!. There IS a point, however, where a photograph becomes graphic art instead!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |