 |
slideshow |
|
|
||
|
|||
|
 |
IS PHOTOSHOP FOR CHEATERS? (The following was the result of a discussion over the claim that a GOOD photographer doesn't need Photoshop; that Photoshop is what amateur photographers use when they have not yet mastered the art of capturing a photograph. This was my rebuttal.) The process of producing a photograph consists both of the capturing of the image and the processing of it in a darkroom (be it a traditional darkroom or a digital darkroom like Photoshop). Two of Ansel Adams' best quotes on the subject are: "The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance." and "Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships." The time I spend capturing a photograph and post-processing it can vary dramatically. Sometimes the photo needs no post- processing work; sometimes it needs a lot. But the fact that a photo needs post-processing work does not necessarily mean that I am a bad photographer and need to Photoshop it to salvage it --- quite the opposite. As I've become more adept with the camera, I spend more time in post-processing because I'm pushing the limits of the camera more --- just as a good film photographer pushes the limits of what the film and available light can do in order to produce extraordinary images. For example, most of the time I underexpose, then nudge the image toward perfection by adjusting levels in Photoshop. I commonly use the dodge and burn tools, just as Ansel Adams did in his darkroom. If necessary, I'll clone out people and telephone poles because they don't exist in my idealized version of the landscape I'm portraying. (In the rare instances that I take portraits, I put on my plastic surgeon's cap and smooth wrinkles and zap zits.) In short, I'll do whatever I need to do to fulfill my artistic vision of what the image should be. I don't take snapshots; I'm not a documentarian. I'm trying to produce art. I often sense an undercurrent of feeling that those of us who post- process are somehow "cheating," or have not yet mastered the art of taking a good photograph and need to use image editing tools to rescue sub-optimal images. Although I agree that you need to start with a good image capture, I think that only gets you part way toward a great image. In some cases, post-processing may not be needed, but in many cases, availing yourself of the tools in the digital darkroom can transform a good image into a great one. After all, Ansel Adams didn't drop off his film at 1-hour photo for processing. Karen Nichols | June 2003 PREVIOUS ESSAY: LUCKY SHOTS  BACK
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||