Processing Photographs?

[jansch]

Hello all,

I just got myself a brand new Canon 450D; am new to the forums, and rather new to photography as well.

I've always heard people talk about processing their photographs, and I always get confused when I look at an image, wondering whether its processed or not. Apart from the basic cropping, colour, monochrome etc. changes, what other changes are ethically considered to be a part of photography? Because i always end up thinking "Wow, how the hell did he/ she manage that?"
Knowing what is processed and what is not, will help me set certain reaistic benchmarks for myself, no point in trying to achieve with a camera what is certainly beyond its scope and done by a computer :meh:

If someone could post examples of pre/ post processed photographs, that'll be great!

Thanks

 

[JeffieLove]

straight from the camera

post-processed

 

[Josh66]

Basically, everything is processed. Who does it, and how much can vary a lot though.

If you shoot JPG, your camera is processing the RAWs for you.

If you shoot RAW, you have to do it on the computer.

If you shoot film, some guy at the lab you send it to is doing it.

'Processing', to me, would be things like adjusting saturation, curves, contrast, sharpness, cropping, removing dust spots/blemishes, etc...

'Editing' (again - my take on it) would be ading things that weren't there, or totally removing people/objects.

Neither is 'bad'. Processing is necessary, editing isn't always necessary, but sometimes it's the only way to get what you wanted.

 

[jansch]

Thanks guys

What would you say the photographs on this page are- processed/ edited? the first page when you open Flickr: Pagan Moth's Photostream

very high contrast, and that's about it??
how is this achievable? They're some beautiful photographs..

 

[Live_free]

Thanks guys

What would you say the photographs on this page are- processed/ edited? the first page when you open Flickr: Pagan Moth's Photostream

very high contrast, and that's about it??
how is this achievable? They're some beautiful photographs..

They are all post processed. Eh I don't like any of those pictures.

 

[jansch]

Thanks guys

What would you say the photographs on this page are- processed/ edited? the first page when you open Flickr: Pagan Moth's Photostream

very high contrast, and that's about it??
how is this achievable? They're some beautiful photographs..

They are all post processed. Eh I don't like any of those pictures.

Entitled to your opinion I guess

I personally love them... The sweat brought to the fore... poetry...
Any clue how one can achieve that though?

 

[DennyCrane]

Easy... desaturate and then crank the sharpening beyond all acceptable limits.

 

[jansch]

Easy... desaturate and then crank the sharpening beyond all acceptable limits.

Thanks

 

[matfoster]

how is this achievable? They're some beautiful photographs..

it must be in the eye of the beholder. a couple are ''ok'' but the rest remind me of pictures of dead tank crews.

acheived by extreme contrast and sharpening for that ''roasted alive'' look.:thumbdown:

 

[rufus5150]

Knowing what is processed and what is not, will help me set certain reaistic benchmarks for myself, no point in trying to achieve with a camera what is certainly beyond its scope and done by a computer

There's a story about Duke Ellington and how he learned to play piano by imitating and following along with piano rolls.

It wasn't until much later he found out that the rolls he was trying to and finally emulating were piano duets.

 

[jansch]

heh precisely why I ask that

But I guess I'll get a hang of the whole deal- processed/ not processed once I start doing it myself, the processing...