Indeed - I think this age old argument will go on forever - each to their own, I do find though that the so-called purists seem to be the ones who have the problem... bizarre that they felt they had the right to tell him that they didn't like his work.
I agree with this articel. Post-processing has been part of photography since it began. For many they never saw the processing of film in a darkroom to make an image. So they have the misunderstanding that those images are SOOC.
I'm not with the "SOOC purists" but I do think shooting SOOC can be a useful "training exercise".
Like the rest of you I agree with the article but for my taste the photo he uses to illustrate the article is over-saturated. Which illustrates what is, IMHO, the much more interesting (and difficult) question.. It's not "process or not process?" but "how much should I process?".
It's very easy to over process images just because you can. The holy grail, to my mind, is a level of processing which doesn't call attention to itself.
I LOVE post processing and continue to be amazed by the software that is available. I strive to capture the scene as I see it. (Which may be skewed by my amber polarized sunglasses LOL)
@jasperc I agree 100% that just because you can, you don't have to edit.
When first I started processing RAW, I attended an expensive workshop where a professional photographer 'helped' everyone set the same default LR import settings ( +40 contrast / +40 clarity / +20 saturation/ and a good dose of sharpening to boot!) so we could reproduce the style of a renowned Australian wildlife photographer. I did not understand until much later why I did not like the results, or have the confidence to think he may have had it wrong.
I process and edit a lot - it's what gets me from the "basic" shot that I've taken to the vision that I have in my head for that particular image. I have also been in the position where people on other online forums have messaged me and told me in no uncertain terms that they do not like what I do, how I do it and, in one case, it presumed that he knew why I did it.
At the end of it all it is my shot, my image, my vision...one of the marvels of modern technology is that if you do not like something you can just keep on scrolling.
While most of images are dark I can actually appreciate the time, skill and patience that goes in to images of "fluffy bunnies, rainbows and flowers" and I admire those who take these shots - just because it's not "my thing" doesn't mean that I don't like them...if we all took the same shots then I doubt there would be many of us here.
@chapjohn@ingrid2101@byrdlip@mittens@helstor@northy@lisainstpete@ltodd
I'm not an SOOC person at all. Like Lyn @ltodd mentioned, I've been to several LR and PS classes and watched countless training videos. At some point once you learn the tools, a lot of what is mentioned plays to a particular style. What is important is to understand almost ALL photos are edited to some degree, and there are many times when setting up to capture an image you're already thinking of how you're going to edit it and what texturing and layering/masking your going to apply -> even before you click the shutter.
I have really come to appreciate the skills to process photos! I'm always learning, but I do recognize I have a certain style, and it takes time to fully actualize it. That's why as an artist I have a full appreciation of work that is very different from mine! I do love using manual mode in hopes that I'll shorten the time it takes to process photos.
@graemestevens indeed... and i have to say, that i often don't particularly like fluffy bunny shots - but that doesn't mean i think they are not nteresting or challenging captures or without artistic merit - just not necessarily to my taste...
@ltodd +20 for saturation? i can't imagine! but then that's the beauty of it... lightroom lets you, and who am i to cast aspersions on another's vision - i'm guilty of all sorts of absurdities in LR and PS!
@northy mmm, pretty "meh" indeed. I wonder if he needed to calibrate his monitor... ;-D
@jasperc oops, I am sorry I made a big typo in my first post (I just updated it). I realise I omitted a few words - I don't think you need to ETSOOI the daylights out of every image, or oversaturate images for impact!
As I'm just coming to the end of a year shooting entirely sooc B&W I think I am qualified to pass an opinion on this... YES, of course, processing is a legitimate part of the photographic process.
Even when shooting sooc, I manipulate my images: I choose the PoV and the composition which determines what will be included in the image and what will be left out - it also directs the viewer's eye to where I want him to look. I choose the focus point and the DoF which reflects what I think is important in the image and what isn't. I choose the exposure which determines the mood - light and airy or dark and, perhaps, foreboding. I choose whether to shoot in colour and present the the scene as 'real' or shoot in B&W and make a representation of the scene. And we haven't yet considered the choice of focal length and the way that it influences the recorded image...
I could simply press the shutter button and then do all of those things in post-processing... either is totally legitimate. I've just been enjoying building my photographic skills by learning how to better get the image I want in camera - Pre-Processing if you like, but processing just the same!
@vignouse indeed... and in shooting one can also choose what filters to apply - either to the lens, or as an in-camera setting... and many cameras have other settings you can adjust such as sharpness and contrast... i find it a bit amusing sometimes when someone touts the superiority of letting the camera make all the decisions for you - because all that means is that someone else's choices (the manufacturer, the person who programmed the camera's algorithm) are dictating how your image should be processed :)
I shoot RAW.. Things are flat if you do nothing. Todays cameras can do a lot in camera .. Mine has a in camera HDR mode. Would you call(HDR) that shot SOOC?
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I agree with him (her?)... summed up the arguments very nicely and concisely...
A photo is always interpreted/edited as soon as you view it on a computer screen or print it.
You either interpret/edit it yourself or let your camera or whatever program you use to open your RAW files with do it.
Like the rest of you I agree with the article but for my taste the photo he uses to illustrate the article is over-saturated. Which illustrates what is, IMHO, the much more interesting (and difficult) question.. It's not "process or not process?" but "how much should I process?".
It's very easy to over process images just because you can. The holy grail, to my mind, is a level of processing which doesn't call attention to itself.
But each to their own.
@chapjohn @ingrid2101 @byrdlip @mittens @helstor @northy
When first I started processing RAW, I attended an expensive workshop where a professional photographer 'helped' everyone set the same default LR import settings ( +40 contrast / +40 clarity / +20 saturation/ and a good dose of sharpening to boot!) so we could reproduce the style of a renowned Australian wildlife photographer. I did not understand until much later why I did not like the results, or have the confidence to think he may have had it wrong.
At the end of it all it is my shot, my image, my vision...one of the marvels of modern technology is that if you do not like something you can just keep on scrolling.
While most of images are dark I can actually appreciate the time, skill and patience that goes in to images of "fluffy bunnies, rainbows and flowers" and I admire those who take these shots - just because it's not "my thing" doesn't mean that I don't like them...if we all took the same shots then I doubt there would be many of us here.
I'm not an SOOC person at all. Like Lyn @ltodd mentioned, I've been to several LR and PS classes and watched countless training videos. At some point once you learn the tools, a lot of what is mentioned plays to a particular style. What is important is to understand almost ALL photos are edited to some degree, and there are many times when setting up to capture an image you're already thinking of how you're going to edit it and what texturing and layering/masking your going to apply -> even before you click the shutter.
@ltodd +20 for saturation? i can't imagine! but then that's the beauty of it... lightroom lets you, and who am i to cast aspersions on another's vision - i'm guilty of all sorts of absurdities in LR and PS!
@jasperc oops, I am sorry I made a big typo in my first post (I just updated it). I realise I omitted a few words - I don't think you need to ETSOOI the daylights out of every image, or oversaturate images for impact!
Even when shooting sooc, I manipulate my images: I choose the PoV and the composition which determines what will be included in the image and what will be left out - it also directs the viewer's eye to where I want him to look. I choose the focus point and the DoF which reflects what I think is important in the image and what isn't. I choose the exposure which determines the mood - light and airy or dark and, perhaps, foreboding. I choose whether to shoot in colour and present the the scene as 'real' or shoot in B&W and make a representation of the scene. And we haven't yet considered the choice of focal length and the way that it influences the recorded image...
I could simply press the shutter button and then do all of those things in post-processing... either is totally legitimate. I've just been enjoying building my photographic skills by learning how to better get the image I want in camera - Pre-Processing if you like, but processing just the same!
@chapjohn @ingrid2101 @byrdlip @mittens @helstor @northy @lisainstpete @ltodd @darylo @taffy @graemestevens