rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

as opposed to letting the camera and software do it for you?

This question was inspired by reading an article and associated advertisement earlier today. It seems there are a lot of presets available for LR as well as other processing software. As I read through this article and the use of various plugins, add ons, and presets, I wondered how many of this group aspire to take matters into their own hands, learn various aspects of photography, and make the initial adjustments to camera, with a plan of processing in mind (some refer to this as pre-visualization)?

Or, how many of you twiddle a few knobs and then push a few buttons until an "Oh Wow, look what I just did" moment occurs?

I guess the deeper issue is, are you a camera operator or a photographer?
--Bob

Tracy B. Loc: Indiana

I would say I'm a Photographer first. I do use post processing ( I shoot RAW). But, I'm not one who changes things like: taking something from one photo and replacing it in another photo. I leave my photo as is, but enhance it with adjustments maybe in saturation, or erase something on someones face. Etc...

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Photographer. I learned the fundamentals early on.

Automation is nice, but made even better if you know how, when, and why to use it or not use it.

It’s all about reading for understanding, and practice for verification and validation of what you have learned.

Bill_de Loc: US

I shoot the way I did with film paying attention to light, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO hoping to see what I want after processing the film. Now, instead of cropping, dodging and burning in the darkroom, I take those steps on the computer. I may do a little color correction as I did in the past with CC filters. And then I'm done, so I guess I could be called a photographer. I've been called worse.

However, I will play around with a number of programs to make something different. Most of the time I delete them.

Keep in mind, I shoot for me but share with others. I probably use the camera as an excuse for getting out and seeing things. Without the camera I most likely would not have walked 2 miles on a beach in December to see a snowy owl.

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Rongnongno Loc: FL

I consider myself a camera operator.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Kuzano

Bob, The third alternative is.............. Graphic Illustrator or Graphic Artist, which foregoes the camera altogether in some cases. I know a lady who has a Canon Camera, and she is a magnificent artist for large wall hung flat work in Oils, and other media.

Her use of the Canon is simply to go out into the wilderness and capture images. No fiddling with the camera controls, just captures which she displays on her large monitor. No post processing either. She simply paints on her easel in her studio. Her large landscapes works sell in the hundreds of dollars up to early thousands of $.

It does not occur to her to even consider herself a photographer, but her color sense is incredible and most of her images SOOC are better than many images people take with fancy cameras.

The question is interesting to say the least. She owned, for years, the most successful art gallery in Central Oregon. She never hung photographic art work in her gallery except for about a year she hung some great Photography for Bruce Jackson here in Central Oregon. It was a grand experiment. The result for her was that Photographic Art does not deserve a place in serious art galleries. Bruce agreed and went back to his more successful method of selling his photographic sales, made strictly by large format photography.

Here is his web site and his ART work from large format.

http://www.brucejackson.com/

Darkroom317 Loc: Mishawaka, IN

I don't use software in my work at all. All of the work is done in the camera and finished in the darkroom. For me making the work is a continuum. The print is the final product and is all that matters. I have no philosophical hang-ups about using software or processing in achieving the final work. In the end how it is created doesn't matter.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

It is a mute point. I consider myself to be an Artist. Photography is the medium, Lightroom, Photoshop and other plug ins are the tools.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

It is a moot point. I consider myself to be an Artist. Photography is the medium, Lightroom, Photoshop and other plug ins are the tools.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I purchased a set of LR presets a year or few ago. I think (hope) for a discounted price of $20 as I remember. A complete waste ... Although they may have given some ideas for certain edits, none represented my own personal vision of my own photography ... I'm not embarrassed to use "auto" from either LR or DPP. Here, the "ideas" are a start that is much closer to my desired end-point although all require minor to major updates to achieve my vision.

So, does one hand-edit one image and apply the recipe to the similar images? Or, hand-edit every image? One / few images can be hand-edited uniquely. But, there are limits to time to work on larger quantities ...

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

I’m not an artist. I aspire to be, but have no education nor credentials in that direction. So, I know my work is far from any concept of perfection, but I’m enjoying the journey to that place.

Certainly, I give much thought, mental preparation to every shoot, and I usually know at least some of the images I want from the effort, and I strive to use the right tools in the best way. But, I’m a long way from my perception of efficiency. But, I enjoy learning.

Most of my photography involves friends and family. Somebody is always having a birthday/anniversary/birth/graduation/and so on (I don’t do weddings) and I find immense pleasure in seeing my images posted by a friend/relative to social media or printed/framed and setting on their mantle. I enjoy the endorsement they give my work by choosing to use it to express themselves.

I think I’m a photographer, but I admit there’s much I don’t know. But, I try to learn something new every day. My perception is that with LR & PS, I can emulate any preset, so I normally don’t employ them. For me it’s kinda like someone else finished my work for me. Of course, I don’t do this for a living, and that makes a difference.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Heck, I don't have any idea what I am, I'm not so sure that's for me to decide!
I took this shot. Does it look willy-nilly??
Every inch of it was planned.
Was shot with a Canon EOS 1n using Hp5 film. No chimping here!!! LoL
I used the car and 3 flashlights for illumination, so its all available light.
This is a photograph of the wet print. once the wet print was printed, no further PP was done, so its SOOC!
SS

(Download)

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Any one who uses a camera to take pictures is, by definition, a photographer. There has never been a camera who has appeared at a location and pressed it's shutter all by itself. Some one has to do it. Even if all he knows about phography is where the shutter button is. he still has to decide when to press that shutter button. And he must know where to point that camera. A long winded way of saying it's the photographer not the gear the makes the picture. A skilled shooter with a polaroid will make better pictures than a hack with a 50 grand Hassy

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Interesting that you look at it that way. For me, light, composition, subject matter are the important things that make a picture great.

Little bit of saturation or sharpening, or a lot of it, is not going to turn a snapshot into a good photo