Digital Image editing - how far to go?Assuming that, against all the odds, you have managed to get your images and computer in the same piece of air space simultaneously, then crops up the above mentioned Boogeyman! Just as I can never remember taking what I considered to be a perfect shot (except in my very early days when, as I recall, they all were!), neither have I yet managed a perfect edit. There seems always to be something that you think could be improved. One of the questions this raises is that of how much enhancement is ethically acceptable? Here you enter really contentious country. I hear many alleged purists maintaining that photographs should not be enhanced at all. To them I am sorry but I can only say “Get real”. Whether we like it or not those days are behind us and I cannot see them returning. Ever since man designed flashguns and filters then photographs have been enhanced – never mind earlier dark room techniques. There is now a whole new technology out there. Maybe embracing it in all its totality is what gives rise to the oft levelled assertion that it changes us from digital photographers to digital artists. This kind of allegation is always proffered with a slight curl to the lip as if the whole scenario is, in some way, distasteful and likely to stick to the sole of your shoe. In the real world this is an “about to be outmoded” opinion and is only voiced because of the newness of the technology involved. As time goes on people’s perceptions of what constitutes photography will change, as they always have done. There seems now to be an unquestioning acceptance of the rapid pace of change and innovation in all walks of life and photography is no different. Unfortunately change seems to come in packages and you generally have to accept the whole package or not at all. Often the intended purpose for which the image is being prepared will dictate the level of enhancement that is merited. The important factor is to be able to be up front about it without feeling like a second class citizen or the need to lie. Competition entries are usually covered by a set of guidelines, clearly stating what is acceptable. Submissions for potential publication will also normally be covered by the publisher’s own set of rules and regulations. Record shots should need little or no enhancement or they cease to be record shots, but it should be borne in mind that many cameras record basic images, devoid of any in built enhancement, under the right and proper assumption that the images will subsequently be subjected to some kind of editing programme. It is with pictures to be hung on the wall that the greatest potential discord arises. I would submit that, in this new era, if you can do something to make the original image more pleasing to the eye for display purposes then you should be entitled to do so. After all, should the enhancement of a picture be of concern to a prospective purchaser, then he or she can always ask for a certificate or confirmation as to whether it has been enhanced and, if so, to what extent. There are those who would long debate the difference between enhancement and manipulation but I would suggest that they are merely playing with words. Once you change a sky, clone out a telephone pole or pylon, or delve into the realms of “layers” then you unquestionably change that image out of all context with its original. Whether this be enhancing or manipulating and whether it changes you from a photographer to an artist then I say “Good luck to you and go for it”. It is plain nonsense to suggest that some editing aids are more ethical than others and I would suggest that those who hold back and maintain that view will be overtaken and may not even finish the race. For myself I am fortunate that by far the bulk of my images are of individual Wildlife subjects, and their backgrounds and surroundings are often not really relevant. Indeed a great many, and particularly my Macro shots, are taken on exposure settings deliberately chosen to blur the backgrounds and make the subject stand out. I say that in this I am fortunate since this type of image often demands only a minimum amount of tweaking and this can frequently be achieved using pretty basic and non time consuming programmes. Many of my enhancements take no more that a couple of minutes and involve using only one or two “tools”. Of course I kid myself that this is because I take a good picture in the first place! There may even be an element of truth in this as my earlier days of slide photography rammed the message home to me that a little extra effort at point of shoot usually pays off in the end product. I am further fortunate in that my main commercial outlet is the sale of prints, either direct or through wholesale outlets, to the public. I am not a competition photographer, and so avoid most of the preparation time demanded by that vocation, and I am not too bothered about publication, and so avoid the inordinate amount of office time that aspiration inevitably involves. Time is of the essence to me and I have found, at risk of contradiction, that 90% of enhancement effect is achieved in 10% of the time that could be spent on an image. The final 10% of the effect takes the remaining 90% of the time. Your own personal set of standards and search for perfection may demand that you spend this extra 90% of effort but I would suggest that the bulk of the non photographic public is not discerning enough to appreciate your dedication. Their buying impulses are, in the main, triggered by factors far more mundane and as basic as simply whether the picture appeals to them or not. Your degree of technical perfection and ability seldom enters into it. I am, myself, my own worst judge of my work’s saleability because, being so involved with it, I use the wrong set of criteria by which to judge it. I have to use Mother or Sister to give me some idea of whether I’m on the right track or not. They both have not the faintest idea of any of the technicalities involved in producing a final image. They only know whether they “like” a picture or not. It’s a bit similar to liking strawberries or not. You either do or you don’t. It’s not explainable – it just is! Their opinions often cause me to entertain thoughts that bring their mental ability into question but I have learnt to keep these thoughts hidden in a dark recess as they often prove to be right when the images finally go on sale. |
