I prefer to keep mine looking "natural". As if there wasn't any post-processing or editing done. So even when I do heavy post-processing, I still do it in a way that looks like any alterations are minimal.

But sometimes I see really good pictures that seem almost way too over-processed, yet still look amazing. I could never achieve that. Whenever I try going heavy on the sliders and masks, I end up with some cartoon-looking abomination.

So for me, I go with the natural look because I just don't know how to make good-looking heavily processed images. Not because I'm opposed to editing/processing or want to preserve the "natural look" or anything like that.

Do you think there are a lot of people like that? Those who only do "natural look" because they can't do the heavily-processed one and make it look good?

That's because people "made" it that way!!

Posting on the internet does NOT negate or relinquish one's copyright to an image.
I simply makes it available to people who don't give a crap about the creator's rights............
Their desire to have/use it is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT!
But, since enough people do it it is acceptable.... NOT!

As a New Zealander I am finding UHH a rather fun forum to be a member of.
We have the friendly members and we have the knowledgeable members.
And then there are the other members who are neither.
We also have members who're keen to learn from other members of UHH, whilst at the same time there are some members who appear to be on here more because they love to pick a fight.
I guess 'US of A' is a large country full of diverse people, and with a diverse range of 'photographers', and most of UHH's members are based in USA.

So!...
What is a photographer? Someone with a camera, or even someone with a phone that has a camera, or is a photographer someone who makes good photos?
And what makes a photo a good photo?
Opinions on that question will be very diverse I imagine.

There is a Question at the end of this story if ya wanna skip the crap part!!

.... So, in the early 1970s, I started working at a Professional Commercial Photo Studio. I was not one of the Photographers there as I was hired into the Color Lab Darkroom processing color/slide film and printing and processing color photographs. I would work with some of the photographers in various shoots once in a while if they asked and needed help.
~ A few months before I took this job, I had several paying gigs - music groups, portraits, weddings, etc., that all paid for my services. That work outside of that studio (and another Commercial studio, after the first one) continued until 2004 when I retired from our (The Wife and my...) Wedding Photo Business. All during that time, I considered myself and later my wife as Professional Photographers, as we were paid for our services. Now, I still get paid occasionally doing a wedding or portraits for friends or whomever, but not as a business.

The Question is...... Is being a Pro Photographer getting paid, and if you no longer are freelancing or a hired pro - is a person at that point, now an Amateur again?