I shoot JPEG and I refuse to post process my images - Can I still be successful?

[ann]

where is that popcorn?

 

[kundalini]

I'm having to lay off the salt though.

 

[mwcfarms]

1) machines do not create art.

Definition of Art from wiki

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture, and paintings. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics, and even disciplines such as history and psychoanalysis analyze its relationship with humans and generations.

I'm confused, where in there does it say machines do not create art. Are you trying to support the OP's monkey nutty statement or.....

 

[Student]

It doesn't feel as dirty, it is more natural, more artistic!

It doesn't feel artistic to have the camera apply some preset adjustments, which were designed by some engineers in Japan, to my images automatically.

I'd rather get the unadjusted date from the camera (RAW file) and take full control over the process of 'cooking' that raw data into the image I envisioned.

Of course, you can choose to do a minimum about of processing. There are still a million things you can do before the shot, to capture that natural moment the way you want.

I only shoot manual and IMO it is all about finding the right spot, the right person and the right position to shoot from, then it is also a lot about exposure.

 

[Formatted]

Define successful.

If all you care about is 'recording a moment', then sure - who cares if you edit anything.

BTW - if you're shooting JPEG, the camera is still doing some editing to it.

If you want zero editing done to them, shoot film and after you finish a roll stick it in your sock drawer instead of developing it.

Nail hit on head!

 

[kundalini]

I only shoot manual and IMO it is all about finding the right spot, the right person and the right position to shoot from, then it is also a lot about exposure.

But your rant is about output..... JPEG vs RAW, no editing, blah, blah, blah.

What you just described (in brevity) is input that is required of every photographer.

 

[Student]

I only shoot manual and IMO it is all about finding the right spot, the right person and the right position to shoot from, then it is also a lot about exposure.

But your rant is about output..... JPEG vs RAW, no editing, blah, blah, blah.

What you just described (in brevity) is input that is required of every photographer.

And that is all that should suffice. We are photographers, not graphic designers or image manipulators.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

To each his/her own but

I want to shoot JPEG and I want to produce natural images with natural landscapes, natural people in order to make all my pictures 100% natural.

What exactly is natural about a digital process? Maybe you shouldn't photograph at all. That would be a lot more natural...

News flash... JPEG's are processed.

It doesn't feel as dirty, it is more artistic!

Letting someone else decide on how to process your images is more artistic? How?

As mentioned jpegs are processed. Just not by you. It seems to me you have decided on an approach to photography before you have even learned about photography. There is more to RAW than just having to PP the images.

It is your right to do as you please but, in this case, it makes very little sense...

 

[Student]

When I shoot an image it is meant to be perfect, no twisting needed because I did everything I should.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

When I shoot an image it is meant to be perfect, no twisting needed because I did everything I should.

You mean within the limitations of the gear... Films or sensors do not have the range of the human eye and therefore, without PP, photos will rarely be perfect according to what we see.

Yes, you have a lot to learn.

 

[KmH]

When I shoot an image it is meant to be perfect, no twisting needed because I did everything I should.

Utter nonsense. Perfect doesn't exist, and can't exist because each person has a different definition it.

Your perfect is my fucqup.

 

[white]

We are photographers, not graphic designers or image manipulators.

It's not 1840 anymore.

 

[Tee]

I know how to use photoshop and if I wanted I could make my models look perfect and adjust all the colour and all that but I don't.

You probably won't be hearing from your models then. Or maybe you will. They'll just find a retoucher to complete the process. Either way, your "natural" look most likely won't end up in an aspiring models book.

 

[Robin Usagani]

It is about the photo really.. who cares how you got it. If you can take photos of celebrity being drunk and stupid on your iPHone, I bet people magazine will pay for it. Does that count as successful?

 

[MichiganFarts]

If I looked back and thought about all the shots I took with my Nikon N90s, I'm sure I could have felt a lot more successful had I not processed them.

I feel you OP.