warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

"To each his or her own" Photography

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

The PP'd image says it all. Very beautiful work/image.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Thanks!

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Thanks!

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Thanks! I did use some other software, including On1 10, and Photoshop CC.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

If you recognize photography as an ART and therefore photographers as ARTISTS, just like workers in other mediums, they can interpret their subjects as per their own unique vision, style, in their own methodologies and techniques- and so they should. There are photographers who are realists and documentations and at the other end of the spectrum there are pictorialists, fantasists and those who work in the abstract. Theses are the extremes but in between there are a plethora of infinite variations and even concepts that have not been done or discovered as yet. If photographers are indeed making art and not simply replicating their subjects or manufacturing images, they should be granted the same degree of artistic license as other artists.

In scenic or landscape art, the painter has the choice of oil paints, acrylics, an endless selection of pigments, watercolors, or they can alternatively go to pastel chalks, charcoal, the graphic disciplines of pen and ink, etching or woodcuts. They can use every manner of brushes, palette knives, sponges, or their fingers as tools. Each method with its own look, texture and mood. The artist makes the choice of rendering the scene in exquisite and authentic detail, ethereal softness, colors of any chroma, or in a way that is far from reality. The photographer should have the same options at his or her disposal.

In the film era, photographers could choose from hundreds of emulsions, in color and black and white, each with its own characteristics as to color saturation, contrast, color palette, sensitivity and grain structure. Theses characteristics could be altered, varied and modified by just as many variations in processing, chemical treatments and specialized formulas. Many special effects were possible through theses variations Nowadays, there are as many variations in digital processing of a basic image. Many of the old methods required painstaking darkroom procedures and long hours of work. Many of the same effects can now be achieved in a keystroke or a mouse click and perhaps this convenience sometimes leads to excessive or inappropriate application and results in the effects calling attention to itself and overriding the motif of the image. Oftentimes, newcomers to the craft tend to become overzealous with the technology at their disposal.

Of course, there are photographers who do not know how to refine their work, perfect their techniques within their style and simply produce substandard poorly crafted images.

I do strongly believe that photographers, as artists, should not be expected or held to work to any standard of style or interpretation. With that kind of sameness, how tiresome and boring would our craft become?

In this day and age, the battle between Ansel Adams and William Mortensen would make for an interesting movie. Otherwise, I think the whole thing was kinda silly! A whole lot of name-calling!

The best approach to take is to work hard to produce images in you own style and share, set an example and welcome the opinions of others. Study the work of others and thy to understand what the are doing. It's a great learning experience.

therwol Loc: USA

Sometimes it seems to ruin a picture, but at other times, it seems to make the picture. Not everyone has the same taste, and who cares? For example, if I hear music I don't like, I don't listen to it again. If I say I like to listen to Mahler and someone cringes, I don't care either. They don't have to listen to it. Nothing pleases everyone.

And I'll add another analogy in music. The classical composers wrote notes on paper with varying degrees of instructions on how to play the music, sometimes with none at all. Performers and conductors have their own "interpretations" of music that either listeners agree with or hate, and those who listen get into arguments with each other over them. Listen to the conductor or performer you like. How hard is that?

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

If you can’t say what you need to say in a photograph without heaping layers of software filters or resorting the latest trends in post processing, you’re probably not saying much of anything.

C.J. Chilvers

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Do you feel like Ansel Adams didn't need to do all that darkroom manipulation to say what he wanted to say?

Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

! ! ! 😉

dave.m

If things get quiet on a photography BB just ask this question - and before you open the relevant page there are 4 pages of comments!

Almost as much emotion as discussions on blood sports, religion and politics - and nearly as polarized and immovable view points i think :)

As has been mentioned more than once, in the context of this debate, I see two major elements elements from pressing the shutter to looking at the final result: the technical, and the artistic. The technical includes among others, adjusting exposure (Ansel Adams developed the zone system to get that right) and locally dodged and burned in post, colour balance (Adams often used filters to emphasise his vision of a monchrome sky); sharpness etc. Fortuanately - or not depending on your perspective - we have Photoshop, ON1, etc etc which makes it much easier.
After technical adjustments the level of artistic processing depends on the vision and wishes of the photographer, and the expected use of the imagery.

As an example, I don't think many would object to valid technical adjustments such as exposure control of an image reporting a major incident in a newspaper or website, but all would take a very dim view if the content of the image was manipulated to give a different political or other viewpoint.

From my perspective except for reportage of archival documentation, its up to the photographer how little or how much artistic manipulation is applied. Some of it looks overcooked for my taste but I expect s/he might think some of mine is a bit flat and uninteresting?

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Or you've very little to say . . .

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

When people process for their own enjoyment, they have only themselves to please. If they are selling their work, then the people with the money decide what is good.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I remember seeing the Polka dance on the Lawrence WelkTV Show. A long time ago. However, there were no Pretzels, Sausages, or Beer. I usually get them at the Oktoberfest, whenever I attend them. I missed last year's though.