P-J Loc: UK

Hi I am here in the UK. I have been a professional photographer for nearly 40 years. Starting off in weddings, portraits, social, studio etc. & the last 10 years as an architectural, interiors, property & landscape photographer.

Something I notice regularly is how we in the UK & US view images differently? This is not a criticism, but an observation!

When I started out using medium format film cameras (Hassleblad & Rollei) for weddings etc. I used to study photographs from other photographers from around the world & soon noticed how we see things differently? Weddings, portraits from the US tended to have over filled-in flash (in my opinion & to my bosses & contemporaries & clients here) compared to UK images.
Now in the digital era I'm seeing images from the US in particular over Photoshopped (again in my opinion. We have some proponents of it here too. As we have adopted some US spellings into our language thanks to computers mainly. Though I have to say I resist using them in the interests of preserving the English language, as it is meant to be here).
They are some great images, particularly of landscapes & wildlife, especially on this site Uglyhedgehog, but to my eye they look unnatural? False colours, too much contrast & saturation, along with definition & over-sharpening? As I said this is definitely not a criticism, but I wonder if anyone agrees or can explain why it is? I know it is subjective & a matter of taste etc. but it does seem to separate us, on how two distinct peoples view the same thing?
As Winston Churchill once observed the US & UK are "two nations separated by a common language"? Now we seem separated by a common vision?

Anyone shed any light on this? No pun intended!

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I agree with your observations.

I think, at the core, it’s a difference between a more conservative versus a more flamboyant style.

Although I’m a Yank, my viewpoint is more on the other side of the pond.

In addition to perhaps a more traditional perspective, I wonder if part of the difference might be in the economies of the two nations during the golden age (postwar) of film photography?

We Americans developed the culture of conspicuous consumption and flashy (some might call it garish) displays of affluence, while our cousins were often in austerity mode.

Andy

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I suspect it’s not the case in the UK, but we Americans have been bombarded for generations by corporate marketing to the point of dulling our senses. It takes a lot to get our attention, so garishness in our photos is not surprising. An explosive splash of color and contrast in a photo mimics the attention grabbing dynamic of our deluge of advertising.

JBruce Loc: Northern MN

I totally agree with Andy's and gvarner's comments. Don't ever change to mimic we Americans. John

srt101fan

I can't add much to Andy's and gvarner's thoughtful comments. I'm just another resident of the western side of the "pond" who doesn't like over-processed images, particularly landscapes. Let's hope it's a passing fad! 😕

P-J Loc: UK

Thanks Guys, I think you're right on all counts. it now makes sense to this 'old' Limey photographer. Never thought of it in those contexts before.

As you say, we should never mimic, but celebrate our own cultures & histories.

Great thanks.

rayclay Loc: Arab, AL., USA

My sentiments exactly. I know my photos are not as flashy as most on this site, (one reason I don't post) but when I see a photo of anything or anyone here I wonder how they/it really look. The same holds true for all magazine photos.
I worked for a dealer of heavy equipment and they sent down two photographers to take photos of a new machine working. The operator/owner wanted some pictures of what they did. Two months later we received about a pickup load of pictures, enough to wallpaper two rooms of his office with a lot left over. Back then they could touch up but not alter the way one can now.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Amen!

I also think there are other national or regional trends in photographic art. In particular, i we influence of ancient East Asian Art in the work of more than a few modern photographers from that region.

Andy

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

P-J, I tend to agree with you, but until now didn't know there was that much noticeable difference. I tend to practice my processing with the same approach as cooking. If you can taste the spice it's too much. Leave it out and there would be something missing. If someone looked at one of my photographs and blatantly saw what I did, I did too much.

Now, to another photographic topic, I do some retouching and restoration work. In those cases, what I did is rather obvious.
http://malarz.com/services/as/index.html
http://malarz.com/services/sailor/index.html

In those cases, I'd expect folks to see that something was done. I do agree with Andy's and gvarner's comments.
--Bob

Steve V Loc: New Jersey

I also see some images on here where the sliders have been pushed a little too much. Fifty years ago a I could only burn, dodge, enlarge or crop an image for a little post processing. And only black and white as the high school did not have color capabilities. When I came back to photography as a hobby in the digital age I was amazed at how easy is was to alter or enhance images. Is it just the ease of change that contributes to these over processed images?

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Those are great restorations, Bob!

It’s a real art, and I’m sure there are two very happy families in possession of those images!

Andy

P-J Loc: UK

I agree, we are, if not bombarded, have access to an abundance of images from not only our own countries, but from around the world, now more readily than before & they must have an influence on how we see the world? But to my way of thinking, looking at ,say a landscape, what we see, what the camera captures & how we see the captured image after uploading to our computers & the need to adjust the image to our satisfaction. Is that how se see it or how our brain tells us how we saw it? Because clearly, depending from what part of the world you are from, we see things differently in the way of colours, hues, contrast, definition etc. etc. Even two photographers from the same part of the world will see the image differently?
So are we saying that images presented to us in print, the cinema, on TV or digitally by 3rd parties have a bearing on how must see our own images regards to colour saturation & definition or are just trying to impress or emulate, as opposed to being true to our eyes & the actual subject?

P-J Loc: UK

Great restorations

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Andy, only the little boy in the bathtub was done for someone. The other was just for fun and practice. The bathtub restoration was included in a book on photo retouching and restoration by Katrin Eismann. The sailor was provided to me by the co-author of the same book, Wayne Palmer.
--Bob

Bob Mevis Loc: Plymouth, Indiana

I agree with all of the above comments.