Note: This is the second installment in a three-part series titled, “Is It Real or Is It Photoshop? Does It Matter?” The first installment, The Purist, can be found here.
The Argument
Is it okay to "Photoshop" your images or is it the ultimate photographic sin?
I began the series with
The Purist and now move on to
The "Anything Goes".
The "Anything Goes"
This is an interesting, and oft-maligned, category of photographer. There are times when images are processed to the point that you cannot even realize it originated inside a camera. I recently saw an image that was purposely made to look like an oil painting; I, myself, have created some images that people mistook for a painting though on my part it was unintentional over-processing. If you have an image you like but the sky is dull and listless - replace it with one you like! In this realm, there is nothing wrong with that and, if done well, no one would be the wiser. Have you ever wanted to ride a camel? Go to a zoo, get an image of a camel and put yourself on it. Are you carrying a half-keg around your waist and want six-pack abs? I saw a Photoshop tutorial about that once - go ahead! You can even fill your yard with a whole menagerie of wild creatures if you want.
My Thought on "Anything Goes"
I don't have any problem with the anything goes mindset. This group never takes "straight from the camera" as a completed image and can spend hours working on a single image that looks nothing like what the camera saw. They take pride in their editing prowess and how they can create what never existed in the physical world. I am one who thinks that photography is an art form and, through extension, photographers are artists. The job of an artist (in my opinion) is to interpret life and present that interpretation to the audience. We tend to categorize artists by their medium - painter, sculptor, photographer, etc... - but at the end of the day they are all artists. I do think, however, there may be a tipping point from being a photographer creating artistic images and an artist using photography as a medium. Does that make sense? Could it be that the "Anything Goes" photographer is actually always the latter and not the former?
Your Thoughts
Are
you an Anything Goes photographer? If so, I would love to hear from you and know why. If not, what are your thoughts on the subject?
I will take on "Everyone Else" in my next blog post.
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