Why Do People Hate "Editing"?

[TCampbell]

You might look around her home and ask her why you don't see any negatives framed and hanging on her walls.

The ONLY way to get an image from camera to paper is with some amount of processing. The images that come 'straight out of her camera' in JPEG form... they've been adjusted by the camera!

Also... as she skims through books and magazines, I can pretty much assure her that everything she sees has had some level of adjustment.

Some photojournalistic photographers don't think anything should ever be "posed" (although they do think it's ok to do something to cause a reaction and then take the shot.)

I strongly dislike over-cooked images. I also tend to dislike the over-use of effects filters. But basic adjustment has been part of photography from the beginning. Even decisions as which negative film, which paper, and which chemicals processing and timings were all part of controlling the final image and photographers made their choices based on the grain, contrast, color tone, or saturation levels they wanted. They completely controlled the exposures and even did dodging and burning -- generally done to most serious images. Photographers even kept notes on what processing to use for a specific image so they could re-create the look with some level of consistency -- in other words it was not a result they were achieving by mere accident.

BTW, I'm careful to separate my use of the term "adjust" from the term "edit". They mean two different things to me.

Adjusting says the image CONTENT is "as is" -- everything in the image is what the camera "saw" when it took the photo. Exposure, levels, white balance, color, etc. may have been "adjusted" but the content is still the same.

Editing says that the image no longer represents what the camera "saw" -- and it's not just the exposure and color adjustments that are different... e.g. things have been removed from the image that used to be in the image or things have been added to the image that were not actually present when the image was taken.

 

[Steve5D]

Tell her to take her own damn pictures...

 

[BrandonLaw]

Every single picture that comes out of a camera is post processed somehow. Your aunt obviously hasn't the slightest clue what she is talking about. I say give her the crappy originals she wants and let her realize just how low the quality is for herself and if she doesn't her loss.

 

[Benco]

Unless someone is a cretin they'll be aware that all photographs rely on a degree of processing. My take on this is that it's the 'I know my place and so should you' mentality:

'In my day we used cameras that just had a shutter button and wind on, the kind men at Boots (or whatever highstreet photo developers) took care of developing the film and handing over a nice envelope of prints, who are you to think you know better than the men at Boots eh? they're the experts and you're just a guy with a computer and some fancy software blah blah blah...'

 

[Designer]

Two of my cousins want to be photographers..

Here's an idea; why not tutor your cousins on how to get good photographs? I mean, if you are available, and you have some time, you could bring them along in the hobby so that they could take good pictures that could be proudly displayed in their home.

I can see why your aunt wouldn't want your edit, and I can see why you don't like the SOOC, so perhaps the cousins can use one of the "program" modes on your camera, and just let them do that without your trying to teach them your methods.

What could it hurt?

 

[Derrel]

Maybe she first heard about editing digital photos back in the days when Adobe Elements was the normal choice for amateurs? Perhaps she associates "editing" with stuff like this?

Let?s Talk About ? Selective Coloring | Take Off Your Mommy Goggles

 

[ndancona]

I had this conversation with my dad who was an excellent amateur photographer in the 70's. I asked him his opinion on digitally edited images and his simple reply was that it's part of the artistic process. He claimed that he could do pretty much anything in his darkroom that we do in photoshop today, hence the long hours he'd spend hidden away in the darkroom.

 

[peter27]

Whilst it is true that "editing" of photos has always taken place, the main difference is that this process traditionally involves the manipulation (for want of a better word) of light in analogue photography as opposed to the manipulation of a computer file in digital photography. What I mean is, things like dodging and burning and contrast control/adjustment are traditionally physical processes that require a light source in analogue photography, whereas the same "editing" is carried out per mouse click in digital photography. Perhaps this is what so many people, including your aunt, object to.

I say traditionally because, of course, it is quite common practice to scan negatives/positives these days and then "edit" on a computer.

 

[CowgirlMama]

With film, it's known as photo finishing.

In the original you posted, the subject is badly under exposed, which is not a fault of a file type.

It's more likely caused by using a metering mode inappropriate for the the scene.
Why shoot it horizontal, and then crop it to vertical? Why not shoot it as a vertical, and get closer so you can spot meter the boy's face?

A Raw file has way more editing headroom (bit depth) than an already edited in the camera JPEG.

Bit Depth
Tutorials ? The RAW File Format

I know HOW to shoot. Trust me. This is fast action, taking pictures of multiple kids AND taking care of them, preventing fights and a million other things. Most of the shots were good enough that editing wouldn't be very obvious, other than white balance. I didn't have my flash out, so some shots had raccoon eyes, but again--parenting/babysitting.

 

[CowgirlMama]

My aunt wants to print a picture my cousin took of her little sister on my camera, but won't print it if I've edited it. Umm... She already saw and *loved* the edited version. But she won't frame it, even though she loves it because it's edited. Sorry, but my teenage cousin knows nothing about photography and it was way underexposed. Yes, I edited. (Different shot) The final shot was gorgeous. NOW she's asking and likely won't frame the best shot to date of her daughter.

And you care because why?

Because she's really thoroughly ticked at me.

 

[CowgirlMama]

Two of my cousins want to be photographers..

Here's an idea; why not tutor your cousins on how to get good photographs? I mean, if you are available, and you have some time, you could bring them along in the hobby so that they could take good pictures that could be proudly displayed in their home.

I can see why your aunt wouldn't want your edit, and I can see why you don't like the SOOC, so perhaps the cousins can use one of the "program" modes on your camera, and just let them do that without your trying to teach them your methods.

What could it hurt?

They both respond to my help with "but my mom says editing is bad and ruins the picture, so we can't do that". They live 2 hours away, but I see them often. One "knows everything" and believes I know nothing. The other is open, but terrified her mom will hate her work.

My aunt isn't a photographer, but my uncle claims to be. He does print and frame completely unaltered photos, even if that means horrid raccoon eyes, freezing cold white balance and all manner of other issues. If the color is too bad, he converts to straight black and white, no curves adjustment, so it's flat.

 

[Josh66]

It's a shame that her kids (at least one of them) are going to basically grow up to be just like her, but I don't think there's much you can do.


You're not going to change your aunt's mind, and trying to will probably just get everybody fighting.

If it were me, I would just ignore them. If they keep making dumb comments on your pictures on Facebook, unfriend them.

 

[Steve5D]

My aunt wants to print a picture my cousin took of her little sister on my camera, but won't print it if I've edited it. Umm... She already saw and *loved* the edited version. But she won't frame it, even though she loves it because it's edited. Sorry, but my teenage cousin knows nothing about photography and it was way underexposed. Yes, I edited. (Different shot) The final shot was gorgeous. NOW she's asking and likely won't frame the best shot to date of her daughter.

And you care because why?

Because she's really thoroughly ticked at me.

For what?

Seriously, family or not, I'd tell her to piss up a rope. She doesn't know what the Hell she's talking about...

 

[Designer]

They both respond to my help with "but my mom says editing is bad and ruins the picture, so we can't do that".

Lemme try this again: Do it WITHOUT editing.

Just let the camera algorithms perform the adjustments.

Don't shoot "RAW".

Don't "teach".

Don't EDIT.

Just let them take pictures the way they want to.

Your interference at this stage will turn them off photography forever.

 

[480sparky]

........

Just let the camera algorithms perform the adjustments.

.......

Don't EDIT.

........

But........ 'letting the camera algorithms perform the adjustments' IS editing.