How much can a photo be edited?

[skieur]

I love this issue........ too much is too much..... reality is reality....... but already a photo is immediately non real.... just today I shot a pictures of nice plaza over here the sun was nearly gone but my eyes could cach all... I deliberately used under exposition to make siluette of churches on the plaza in front of a nice exposed skyview... so... the reality was not that one... it was my artistic interpretation of images and art...

So... let me say..... make a view of reality is the main point... but not green sky and blue roads

You seem to be missing an important basic in photography that comes up in television production and cinematography as well:

The method, approach, special effect, creative decision, processing, editing, etc. MUST contribute to the overall effectiveness and impact of the photo or it should not have been done and is a weakness.

So, simply put, "blue roads" and "green skies" don't contribute anything to most photos therefore the technique should not have been done.

It has nothing to do with realism or capturing the moment whatsoever.

skieur

 

[Pugs]

I love this issue........ too much is too much..... reality is reality....... but already a photo is immediately non real.... just today I shot a pictures of nice plaza over here the sun was nearly gone but my eyes could cach all... I deliberately used under exposition to make siluette of churches on the plaza in front of a nice exposed skyview... so... the reality was not that one... it was my artistic interpretation of images and art...

So... let me say..... make a view of reality is the main point... but not green sky and blue roads

You seem to be missing an important basic in photography that comes up in television production and cinematography as well:

The method, approach, special effect, creative decision, processing, editing, etc. MUST contribute to the overall effectiveness and impact of the photo or it should not have been done and is a weakness.

So, simply put, "blue roads" and "green skies" don't contribute anything to most photos therefore the technique should not have been done.

It has nothing to do with realism or capturing the moment whatsoever.

skieur

And to second Skieur's point and to illustrate it since he mentioned television/cinema:

I was watching an episode of "Criminal Minds" last night and the killer was graphic novel artist/writer who was suffering a psychotic break. The sequences in which he killed people were all filmed in VERY high contrast black and white with selective coloring applied to the blood which was VERY highly saturated red. This post-processing was appropriate because it emphasized and highlighted the killer's mental state in which he was basically adopting the persona of one of his comic book characters.

This line of thought also brings to mind the recent version of "Battlestar Galactica" in which the different worlds were all filmed with a different white balance/tint. One world may have a cool blue cast to it and another may have more of yellow hue. This emphasized the difference between the worlds in that different suns and atmospheres will produce different light and thereby give different worlds different color-casts.

This type of post-processing is a POWERFUL tool in giving an image or a film a specific feel or emotion or character or... whatever.

 

[ArtphotoasiA]

Nice debate mates!
Sometimes I will be provocatory (just a little) in order to put fire under the discussion.

So... finally it looks to me that basically we all are saying the same thing.
There are lines... clearly or not clearly delimitated... between art - photography - graphic - special effects - HDR - etc etc-

Everyone should follow his/her instinct and go on with what fell more near the soul.

My personal view and research is a photography quite real, quite reportering, my favourite photos ever are the 70' photo during vietnam war.
I find quite hard sometimes go out and shoot in my city but as far as I get on a bus, a train, or an airplane... then can not move without my camera.

:lmao:

Regards