My photo for PhotoFriday: Unfinished
I sent an email to a co-worker today. It's something important enough to me that I'm going to post it here too, so when you hear people say such things, you can battle them too. (A friend commented that another friend had beautiful photos on her desk and the person below replied "well, yes, but everything is photoshopped so who knows...". On a separate occasion she also commented to someone that "the day you can take a picture of me and make me look good, without going into photoshop, is the day I'll think you're a good photographer.")
Hi,
I overheard a comment you made yesterday and then was told by someone else that you made a similar comment to them along the same lines. Coming from a teaching and photography background, I feel the need to educate you as to how incorrect and damaging what you said was. Your statement was along the lines that photoshopping an image is somehow akin to cheating in producing beautiful photos. You may not be aware, but photoshopping, as it is called because of the original program used to do it, is 100% NECESSARY to digital photography. It is the exact same as the developing process that FILM goes through, only using a computer instead of developing chemicals. I know this to be true because I came from a film photography background with more than 20 years experience in photography, and nearly 10 years of it digital.
You may think "...but you're manipulating the image; changing it from its original in-camera state". The fact is, both film and digital cameras do NOT capture what the eye sees and remembers. Film uses chemical enhanced paper to capture an image and digital cameras use computer chips (CCDs and CMOS chips). Both film and CCD/CMOS chips have a narrow dynamic range (color range), showing MILLIONS LESS colors than the human eye sees and both film and digital always introduce some kind of color shift. So to make the final image look like the original subject, adjustments are required to highlight and shadow strength, and color cast and strength.
All film photographers enhance photos by their choice of chemicals, sometimes using "inappropriate" chemicals to get a certain colorshift/result (called cross-processing). And they frequently "push or pull" film (process for a slower or faster speed film) and use what's called dodging and burning to make certain areas lighter (dodging) or darker (burning). They expose film for longer or shorter periods of time and even double-expose it to get special effects. They use filters over a lens to decrease glare, increase saturation and a myriad of other reasons. None of this is considered "cheating" yet your implication that doing the exact same thing (post-processing) in photoshop is somehow a negative or testament to the quality of the photographer.
In reality, it is a testament to the INEXPERIENCE of the photographer who does NOT post-process (or "photoshop" as you say) their images. The very least processing that EVERY (professional) photographer in the world does is cropping, and whether that happens in-camera or after developing, it is still processing nevertheless.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox now, but did have to get this off my chest as overhearing what you said was taken as a slight by several people. And I know that was not your intent to slight them (us) but was merely made because you didn't necessarily have your facts straight.
Thanks, tonya
Having so much fun playing with the August Songbird Avenue kit! This little doll is the youngest daughter of a dear friend and let me tell you, this angel is a little spitfire when she wants to be. One of those kids you just know is going to change the world someday.
Make sure you comment on the previous post to get in on the give-away for two of these kits! You'll be having a GOOD time and doing some GOOD at the same time. Doesn't get any better than that.
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How cool is this: Miss Kimberly Kwan (yeah, the photo-nista extraordinaire) is such a proponent of doing GOOD that she purchased and then gifted me with a free mega-kit from Songbird Avenue for me to give to YOU! I'll match that gift with one of my own so have TWO to give away. If you're digi, you'll want this amazing kit that DONATES 100% OF PROCEEDS to charity (this month it's the Make-A-Wish Foundation) and if you're not digi, now is the time to give it a try. What better way then with a beautiful kit for free that also does SO MUCH GOOD? I'll randomly draw a name from the comments on Friday, Aug. 24 and another on Monday, Aug. 27. (I'll be honest and say my blog readership isn't that freakin' huge so I'll need a few days to get someone to comment, LOL). Thanks Kim for thinking of me, and more importantly, for thinking of SongBird Avenue and Make-A-Wish.
edit for clarity: The two winners will each receive a pre-paid gift certificate so they can download the kit (or one from a different month if your prefer) at no cost to them. They were graciously donated to me to give away by Kim Kwan to help such a worthwhile site and cause. Of course, if you don't win and still want the kit, they can be purchased from Songbird Avenue for $8 (ALL of which goes to charity.)
Something a little different from me, I think. Really like it though, more randomly collagey than I've done before. It's a backwards hybrid LO. I sewed the circles to the fabric (not intending to do a LO, just playing on my sewing machine), loved it so much I brought it downstairs and just looked at it lots. (Do you do that?) Finally adhered it to cardstock as a "base", scanned it in and finished it up digitally. I like the softer, but not pastel, color.
Indy was SO HAPPY to get to ride a horse (her self-proclaimed very favorite thing in the whole world.) Then when the time came, so nervous. Sweetie said later, after it was all done, "it was weird mom, it was SO HOT outside (it was over 100) then when I got on the horse I was FREEZING and thought I needed to throw up or run away really fast." Too funny. I explained the concept of adrenaline and "fight or flight" but she insisted she wasn't nervous. LOL