Greg Huntsinger Loc: Battle Ground WA.

In this photo I liked the barn so I took the shot even though the background was a gray day . What are your thoughts ?

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

Your photo, your choice.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Paul J. Svetlik Loc: Colorado

Greg, photography is a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone ...



You communicate to others, what your feelings were when you took the picture.
It is up to you, how the picture will look.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

I like #2 best for the context - lonely barn in an isolated place.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

IMHO the first picture gives you a great base to do all sorts fun things with. If you are asking which one I like best, it would be No. 3 just because I almost always prefer B&W over color in these situations.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

The only time I have a problem with someone altering a photo is when there is a malicious intent to deceive. Obviously not the case here. You took a blah photo and made it interesting. Nice work!

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Well done!

I'm at a stage where I think I've finally recognized that my "normal" photography may never get "better". I'm trying to self learn "creative" post processing. You're example is a perfectly good example of what can be done!

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

There are all sorts of reasons 'why' people take photographs. Equally no two photographers would take the same image - each would see 'something' and make it a different part of the composition or time etc.

How we view life is individual too. The emotions and memories, the associations we each register in different ways, culture and previous life experiences all 'colour' what we think we see. We build our own story about our environment.

When, as you have done, you create different aspects of the same view you evoke different responses in people. You can make it 'more appealing' to a larger audience. You can also make the image more satisfying to yourself.

Most people like to please others. By altering an image you can sometimes appeal to a greater audience, yet displease others because they consider it 'off' in some way. Like ART...you know what you like and what you dislike.

Your Photography will evolve in a way that pleases you + a lot of other people.....or just you. Some images I just do not understand why they are considered 'important'. So I do not emulate those....I try to emulate those images that already appeal to me. Some is done in edit, some are done in 'being there at the right time' and some are done in composition.

Your camera - your choices.
have fun

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

It's just my opinion, but I think that you should keep the basic photo and just replace the flat gray sky with a gray sky with more detail in the clouds.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Greg, you've already visited us in Post Processing Forum, so hopefully you know my own opinion: it's your image, do what you want to it! (oh look, there's a link to an article by that name in my signature line)

I also agree with the comment about not being deceitful. On UHH, that would be be presenting #2 and suggesting it is the view out your front door

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I agree with your photo, your choice. That said, I’m not a fan of transforming a photo into something it wasn’t. I’d change a sky or make all kinds of basic enhancements, but I wouldn’t change a setting.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

It's always interesting to ponder the degree to which fake or altered is acceptable. I assume it varies from picture to picture just as it does from person to person. I don't care if you cloned out some trash, but if you add a rare sighting of a whatever/critter to a scene that appears to be real, I want to know it wasn't there originally.

I say "appears to be real" because some, like MinnieV's here are pretty obvious in their fancifulness

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Photography is a blend of art and science. I don't have any problems at all creating an artistic piece. The only problem I would have if you posted the processed photo while attempting to sell the property and photo journalists should never "doctor" a photo.