Photoshop enhancing Photography v's Photography enhancing Photoshop

Hi All,

I joined this site yesterday... funnily enough I stumbled across it through another website and was quite intrigued, hence I joined. So far I have really enjoyed the experience... and have seen some absolutely incredible photography.

As I have stated in my profile, I am by no means a photographer, I am merely someone who enjoys taking photographs with my cheaply bought digital camera.

I have a background of digital graphics and painting, so through this I have a good eye (well I believe so) of composition, colour and how to use Photoshop to compliment my photographs.

My question is, if I am using Photoshop to crop photos to strengthen my composition, using adjustments and filters to recreate what simply I cannot afford... are my photographs any less valid?

I know that when I prolifically take pictures that there are two or three every now and again that keep nagging at me to work with... and it may take me months to finally find the right medium in Photoshop to make it, how would you say.... come alive?

And to let you all know, I will never post anything but these lol.

I say this because I see some stunning work in here... and have enjoyed wandering around, but am I in the right forum for my work?

Any feedback will be welcome...

Cheers,

Jodie-ann

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Permalink Reply by Apoc on January 3, 2009 at 5:00am

I work at Ritz and have seen all manor of beautiful photography come from all forms of camera. As I often tell people it's not the camera, but the person standing behind it, that makes or breaks the picture. You take some very cool pictures and regardless of whether it comes from an SLR, a point and shoot, or a disposable film camera, a photographer is still a photographer. And on the topic of Photoshop, most all major photographers use PS to fix up their images and I'm sure a lot of them use it just for fun in their free time (I know I do). So whether you want to learn or share, knowledge of Photoshop or knowledge of picture taking, this is by all means the correct forum. :)

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Permalink Reply by DrHank on January 3, 2009 at 5:11am

Wow, what a can of worms you've opened. Haha, I will be following this discussion as I'm sure it will get intresting.

Let me start with a proposition few, I believe will dispute. Photoshop will not make your images any less valid as art.

As for the question "does using PS make your photographs any less valid?", Photography (and PS, for that matter) is now in the hands of so many and has so many areas of sub-intrests (as evidenced by the number of groups offered on this site) that I suppose it depends on what the photographer's goal is and what area of photography they are working with. I'm sure the average person would feel that an image by a photojournalist in a newspaper WOULD be LESS valid if it was known that it was "photoshoped"!

But, is that fair? What if all that was done was croping and lighting adjustments to "enhance" the photo? But, even that can lead to problems, if you remember the Time/OJ controversy where time magazine darkened OJ's skin tone and thereby making him "more menacing".

For me, as an amature "photographer", the art is in the photograph and the less touching up needed the better. I may feel differently as I become more proficient as using PS. And that doesn't mean I would stop any one from touching up any blemishes on pictures of me! Haha.

Good luck getting to the bottom of this one.

DrHank

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Permalink Reply by Jodie-ann Latimer on January 3, 2009 at 5:24am

Very well put Dr Hank... and you enlightened me on another aspect of the OJ case!

As for Photoshop for newspapers, I worked as an Image Enhancer (fancy name for someone who fiddles with pics) and many of the photographers that I worked with would have me do quite alot of work with their photographs, from the minute amount (cropping, auto levels etc).. right through to creating clouds and cloning out aspects of the photo they didn't see when then took it.

But as I said, I am throwing out the question because I see some incredible photography being displayed on this site and I appreciate the time, skills and equipment it takes to create them... I just don't want to feel like I'm wasting my time posting and invariably stepping on others creative toes when it comes to my trashy lil ole Samsung digital!

Thanks to both you and Apoc for your replies ;)

Jodie-ann

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Permalink Reply by DrHank on January 3, 2009 at 5:47am

It's the photographer, not the equipment, that sees the beauty, or the potential beauty with the intent of enhancing or working with the orignial image to create something new and beautiful.

I've only been here (at this site) a week or so but for me this site is for the creative person to share, learn, and become inspired. I don't care to see every picture from someone's recent vacation or 100 pictures of a tree in someone's backyard because they got a new camera for Christmas.

I can only speak for myself, but you are the type I would definately welcome here. I hope you enjoy it enough to upgrade that "lil ole Samsung" someday soon.

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Permalink Reply by Apoc on January 3, 2009 at 5:57am

Couldn't have said it better myself. :)

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Permalink Reply by Jodie-ann Latimer on January 3, 2009 at 6:50pm

Thank you Alan... and your right, I look at the photographs taken of me when I was little (and my Uncle was an avid photographer) and they really don't seem to have the depth that can be achieved now, whether it be with lenses or Photoshop.
I still see some small glimmer of me as an amateur photographer as I am still the one scrabbling around the dirt on my hands and knees, putting myself in awkward contortions trying to get the right POV, regardless of whether I then take it to Photoshop and correct some of my cameras misgivings (oh dear, I just blamed my tools! hahaha).
Thanks again to everyone :))

Jodie-ann