First off, let me say this isn't to bash anyone for editing photos; I've seen so many amazing photos by some amazing photographers on this site. So many, in fact, it makes me a little jealous. I was just wondering if I'm the only one doing this project sooc? I feel like I'm being left in the dust by all these amazing photos since mine look a little plain in comparison. I started this project to improve my photography skills, not my editing skills. I know it's not a competition to get the most followers or the most feedback, but I have to admit, it IS nice to have people comment on your work, you know? This is starting to sound like a pity party, so I'll wrap it up. Anyone else sooc only, or mainly, on your project? If so, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks!
*EDIT*
Wow. I didn't expect this many replies. I also didn't mean to start a debate. I think that whatever works for you, editing or not, is what you should stick with. I plan on adding edited photos after a year, but for now I'm sticking with sooc to work on composition, lighting, and getting to know my camera. Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes!
Thanks for all the looks at my photos and the plethora of new followers [I've found a lot of people to follow here too]. Just know, I AM still reading the replies, but it's gotten to where there are too many to reply individually. Keep up the good work, everybody!
Well I typically just sharpen my images in post processing then add the watermark. Very rarely do I do more than that. I use the excuse that I'm horribly unbalanced so most of my photos don't come in very clearly.
well this year I am all film... so I am FAR from SOOC... my choice of film, developer, paper, ect all drastically change how my image will look...
I don't worry how I get my image... rather I am a big fan of making sure I get what I wanted... no surprises... interesting subject, great comp, drama... those are my only concerns... how I get there... don't really care...
Tricia - I just looked through your photos and if my photos came out SOOC like your images, I wouldn't edit either! lol...I pretty much just crop. Sometimes I adjust light or shadows and that's generally it. But I rarely get a SOOC of the camera shot I"m completely happy with.
Your photos are not plain - at least in my opinion. They are, in fact, pretty awesome. :) And now I'm following you so I can learn from YOU. :)
No one is SOOC to rain on the parade... your digital camera does all sorts of in camera post processing.
On a brighter note, I'm not too big into editing... every once in awhile I do a lot of it because I'm bored (yesterday's pic as an example). Other than that it's sometimes a crop, always a resize for web, watermark depending on my moods, and light levels/curves. I also shoot a lot of film, so like @icywarm I'm far from SOOC with that by the mere fact film is like that.
recognizing that my camera does stuff depending on the setting I choose, that's the only processing/editing that goes on for me. I have limited, mediocre software so have only figured out how to crop, which I will do occasionally (like today).
I try to be sooc but I love high contrast photos so I there's that and sometimes the white balance or exposure or something needs a little adjusting. I just try not to over process but sometimes it is needed
Hi Tricia,
I'm with you on the SOOC pictures - I have resized (to make it quicker to upload), cropped and tilted (to correct a wonky horizon), but generally most of my pics are straight from the camera. I would love to know how to edit and process some of my photos to get a better effect, but then they become more photographic art and less artistic photo. I see it as a continuum, with my work tending to the photo side.
@nanascraps That's very sweet of you to say. I don't know how much you'll learn, since most of my photos are pictures of my daughter.
@hmgphotos I know my camera helps with the various settings. I meant more along the lines of taking them into photoshop and doing selective coloring, adjusting the hue or saturation, messing with the levels...things like that. I would like to on some photos, and sometimes I do, but I just save them for myself.
@icywarm That's amazing that you develop your own photos. if I knew how that whole process worked, I would love to do it all myself. Kudos to you!
@brittgow That's a very good way to word it. That's how I feel. Well said.
Tricia, your photos are pretty good for just SOOC. I won't get into a huge debate on the difference between SOOC and editing, so instead I'll just ask one question: Why do you post your photos straight out of the camera without any editing?
I wanted to work on composition and natural [or I guess artificial depending on the environment] lighting. I've done a lot of photo editing over the past few years, but I noticed that I didn't take as much time on a shot because I'd go, "who cares if there's a car in the background, I'll edit it out". Now I work a little harder to make sure I get a good angle to get the car out on my own. It makes me more aware of my environment and pay more attention to how my camera works. @jasonbarnette
@triciaanddazzle You have no idea how professional you just sounded! So, so many people use the RAW format as an excuse to do a piss-poor job shooting all their photos. I once had someone on the 365 Project tell me that it was professional photographers would spend hours editing a single photo to get it right. I laughed for nearly a week.
I can completely understand your desire to focus on composition, framing, and a seldom-used term: mise-en-scene.
Mise-en-scene is a French term meaning the visual theme of a film, or everything that you would see through the film gate. The color of the walls, lamps, patterns on the rugs, the types of furniture used, the placement of the people, all combined to create the mise-en-scene of a dining scene.
In photography, we don't have the ability to pain the walls and pick the furniture, but we do have the ability to determine what is in the frame and what is not. I am proud of you for realizing this and making an effort to shoot the photos without these distractions and obstructions.
SOOC works for now, but keep in mind the editing process is like kicking the extra point in football: every time you score a touchdown, you have to kick that extra point.
All of mine are sooc. I don't really know how to edit yet so I have no choice. I only recently got my digital camera and its only a point and shoot. But I have been enjoying it and learning a lot. I only wish I was more creative like everyone else seems to be here at 365. I love to browse and follow other people just to learn from and drool over their wonderful shots.
@jasonbarnette Thank you, that's really nice of you to say all that. Very touching.
My plan is to work on sooc shots for a year, then once I make it there, I'll include edits in my project. Like I said, I'm editing some, I just don't post them here. I have to keep sharp or I'll forget it all within a year...well, not all, but it wouldn't look as nice.
@margielarriva I definitely understand that feeling. There are so many creative people out there. It's inspiring and daunting at the same time. Just give it time and I'm sure you'll hone in on your skills. Don't sell yourself short, I'm sure you're a creative person. You have to be to dedicate yourself to a year of photos.
Most of mine are SOOC. All of my first 3 months are, and I still post a lot of SOOC or almost SOOC photos. I rarely do lots of editing, and if I do then you know about it. The rest of the time, what you see is basically what I saw. After all, it's just a rubber duck.
@katiegc24 I looked through some of your pictures earlier since I kept seeing your name pop up in discussions. I have one rubber duck[s] shots, but it's not nearly as good as he ones you get.
@triciaanddazzle Awwww thank you :) I like your duck shot :D also, I may have a lot of photos of a duck, but I most certainly couldn't take a photo like yours from yesterday, the self-portrait. That's stunning :)
@katiegc24 Thank you! I normally don't do self portraits, but I'm trying to take less photos of my daughter and more pictures of other things. I'm not doing so great with that, since more than half my project is her or things that have to do with her, but that one of me was definitely planned. You should have seen how many I actually took and how THEY turned out. One good one out of more than 50.
I am incapable of posting SOOC :( My photography itself is not that great , where as my editing skills are ok :) .... That said tho , i have only really taken an interest in photography over the last 18 months so i hoping that with time the photography part will start to improve , I think its started too through doing 365 anyway :)
I am always amazed by what some people produce SOOC and only wish that some day i can produce the same , but right now i do edit the heck outta my shots to achieve something im happy with , sometimes i think im doing the wrong thing and other times i think to heck with it because im doing what i enjoy doing :)
Mine are mostly SOOC, although I always resize for faster uploading. Having said that I have to say that I really don't understand a lot of editing techniques and who knows what would happen if I learned some more. Occassionally I'll do an over the top edit to achieve a result.
at the start of my project i was SOOC full on take photo upload do nothing else to it - bit like you, find the perfect shot and shoot so that editing is not required. However, I have been using a lot of one type of editing tool the last couple of months and have been super impressed by the photos that have resulted (they are not a million miles away from the SOOC but the editing gives that little extra something. My aim is to learn more about editing with other techniques over the next couple of months and hone my photography skills more as a result
@triciaanddazzle Tricia, your photos are gorgeous. I prefer working sooc, as I feel that people then can see exactly what I saw.. No illusions. Though Not all of my photos are sooc, as there are times when it can be a 'rain day' and I then take to exerimenting. I think, how can i drastically change this or that, for example my whisky bottle shots. Normally If i am going to edit, I will seriously edit and change the original photo dramatically.
Personally I feel that by working sooc you learn more, you have to work with the environment and camera settings more, you literally cannot point and shoot, you have to encompass all of the variables to ensure the photo works. Working sooc enables me to learn my camera and to learn all of the different technical aspects. I joined 365 to learn photography, not to become fantastic at editing. I gain a better feeling of achievement if I produce a good photo sooc than editing it to within a inch of its life :o)
@sparkle That's great. I hope your skills improve to your liking. As long as everyone is happy with their pictures, then edit away :)
@michelleyoung Thank you! And ditto to pretty much all of that you said. I'm working on photography skills, then editing skills. Sometimes I would like to post an edited shot, like my self portrait, but I don't. I think it would have improved the image to make the darks darker and the lights lighter [which I did and saved on my computer] but that's not how it really looked there. I think that if I improve my skills, I won't have to improve my editing skills as much, since the photo will speak for itself...that's what I hope anyway.
I'm an sooc fan but I do crop a lot of mine to get the perfect framing - so always note sooc on the photos I have not altered in any way. I take your point about sooc and would like to know if a photo is sooc or edited. BUT there are some absolutely fabulous photos out there that we would never see if we expected them all to be sooc. I love the variety of the site and enjoy seeing all the photos.
My whole project is actually done with my cell & a couple photography apps I found in the Android Marketplace. The apps do some processing.....mainly when I use vignette which I use for selective color on occasion or in low light I use the night enhancement in the camera 360 app. Most of my shots are straight from the cell & uploaded via text msg/email stright to this sight. A few I will crop or fix the lighting but I generally let my phone & apps do all the work & I just keep shooting so that I can make sure I (hopefully) have a pic worth posting. There are a few I did play with in Picnik on days where I was bored or less busy than usual.
Any I did alot of processing to I note in the description & shots where I haven't done anything I always label as sooc.
Sorry to disappoint you but after the first month of SOOC I just couldn't resist editing anymore... I usually just tweak the contrasts or crop, sometimes use sepia or b&w and selective colouring. All of these don't really change my shots or compositions and most of these I could actually do with my camera, so they could be SOOCs ;). I love your shots a lot though and have started to follow to remind me that composition and object are so much more important than the editing afterwards ;).
I thought sooc is meaning Straight Out Of Camera? Cropping or lighting constrats adjustements are editing... mainly sooc doesn't mean sooc, does it? @triciaanddazzle I understand what you mean by doing a great composition for a sooc picture, I really find it very interesting. And to answer your question, I post either sooc or not but always mention it. You really have great pictures Tricia.
I do/when I do sooc and tag it so ... nearly finished my first 365 and not doing a second round, I need life! If I hang around I'll be scanning OLD pix and repairing them.
@triciaanddazzle My project is 100% SOOC, for the same reasons as you really! I want to improve my photography, learn about composition and lighting and how to use my DSLR properly.
I do mean SOOC as well, no cropping, no straightening, no nothing - what you see is what I took :)
If I feel some editing would improve a photo, I'll post it in my second album - my 365 stays SOOC.
I do a mix. I like adding vignettes or switching a shot to black and white because I think it looks better that way. I am also a huge fan of selective coloring. But some of my shots I don't touch other than adding a watermark.
I've just read your topic/debate on SOOC versus Edited shots. By agreeing to only post SOOC shots you HAVE to make time to set up shots, use right settings, get the lighting just right etc, I agreed that is a wonderful way to get started.
I love to know my camera thoroughly. For me (although I don't know how to do alot of it) the editting knowledge and skills people have help to finish off the whole package sometimes. Clever editting can set apart a photo from similar ones. I guess its whether you appreciate art or photography as I think heavily editted shots become whole *new* pieces of artwork. Which can be great. Thats what i love about photography though.... soooooo many possiblities.
I'd guess about 98% of what I post is SOOC (unless you count cropping and collages). I'm here to improve my photography skills, not my editing skills. What everybody else does is fine, but for me I prefer my photos to be as I shot them.
I do only minimal processing on mine -- mostly a crop or zoom. I love the challenge of getting the 'right' image from the camera, instead of the computer.:)
Maria (@mtol) is doing SOOC. I think she's cropped once or twice, but she keeps it real most of the time. She does a great job with it too! I used to be a purist, but have fallen in love with tweaking to make it better or to give it a good feel. I post at least one SOOC a week to stick to my original photographic style.
I agree with @jennlouise, taking photo's sooc does take a lot of prep time, as does editing with software. I think it's creativity on both sides.... taking the time to edit, or taking the time to set up your shot before hand, you still have to go through the motions. I personally go with SOOC.... No cropping, no nothing! It does take me an awfully long time to get some of my shots, but, it has taught me to have more patience and to see things I have never noticed before! Plus, I'm really getting to know my camera inside and out!
Mine are mostly SOOC. Any editing I do is usually cropping, or maybe a very slight adjustment here and there. I think some people get some amazing effects and end results from processing, but I'm sort of a purist with photography, and I try hard to get it "right" when I take the shot and not rely on post-processing to get what I want.
Almost all of my shots are SOOC (unless you count the addition of a watermark). When I do edit, it's very little. When I feel I need to edit, it's usually just slight adjustments with the exposure.
@difeeney I fully agree. There are some awesome edits on this site...a lot of things I never would have thought to do. I wasn't complaining about people editing their photos, I was mainly just wondering if anyone else was working sooc too.
@wolfbittink If I used my cell phone my photos would look terrible! It's not the best quality, by far.
@jannaellen It's not a disappointment! You should take pictures that you like and edit them how you want. If it's what feels right, go for it. There will always be nay-sayers and there will always be...praisers? Haha. I think everybody should do shots that make them happy.
@parisouailleurs I think cropping is ok, but that's just me. Sometimes I can't get close enough to my subject [like the frog I took, he would have jumped away] so I did crop a tiny bit so the details were more apparent. That's how I feel though. A lot of people would probably disagree and say it doesn't count for sooc. Thanks for looking at my album!
@minxymissk Karen, I'm already a follower. You have beautiful shots! Something for me to shoot for :)
@jennlouise I agree that editing can give a shot an entirely new meaning. I plan on editing after I finish a year of sooc, that way I get a better feel for my camera, and have a better grasp on lighting and composition.
I've been working on SOOC shots for some time now..... At first, aggravating... then came a new understanding of my camera, after that the challenge was on. It has been the ONLY way to connect with my camera through trial and error. I agree to the extent of learning your camera first and editing later. I agree of seeing some awesome post editing effects but I learn from them too. It all depends on a particular photo and even a particular time and place where I'm taking that photo as to what I want to do with it. Time makes a difference to me. I never use AF on my camera..... unless and only unless... time is of the essence and I want to make darn sure I get the shot of a place where I may never return.
I've been in a dilemma lately as to how well iphones or all the phones now that can take all the work out of what I"m trying to obtain. Makes me a little perturbed to it.. But that's technology and you can't stop that. So, in my humble opinion.... it is to each their own. And like some that have said here... I usually include in my caption rather it is a SOOC shot or not. (I don't know how many are on this project, I belong to so many photography forums, I've lost track) I think you reach a point no matter which way you start out doing, SOOC first or 'snap shot' editing first... you reach a point on how much and how far YOU want to learn and grow with photography.... You can edit away on a bad photo till the sun rises, it's usually still a bad photo.
Most of my pictures are nearly SOOC. I crop and sometimes adjust exposure but pretty much what you see is what I see through the viewfinder. If I'm playing filters or other effects, I'll usually spell that out in the picture commentary.
@triciaanddazzle Mine are 98% sooc. I hope everyone who follows me could read this lol. I DO NOT CROP my photos. If I get one pedal of a flower then I took the shot like that,I have a 2 yr old and a 3 yr old,taking a few seconds to just crop a pic is to silly in my eyes I just take the shot the way I imagine it right away,no editing. If I want a hint of a color I know how too set up my lighting. If I do edit,I write that I did. I did a lily shot and I imagined something from a mafia movie...you know the browns and tones and I edited an amazing shot already to be what I visioned because I couldn't do it with out the editing. But 99% of the time my nature shots are sooc and my kids shots ARE ALWAYS sooc. I have learned about portrait shots,you can tell that from my first ones and the ones I do now. No editing. Just learning my ways through lighting,camera settings and such. I liked looking at edited shots though and have nothing against them but I also have learned competing with them is not easy either.
I admire those who have the inspiration and the vision to see how they can transform a photo through post processing. I see it as art, that for them the photo is the starting point of a journey.
So far, I have been posting my pictures very much as they appear, only cropping. In time I may experiment and find that I really get inspired by the world of post processing.
I think there is room on here for many styles and i love seeing the world through other peoples eyes :)
I definitely do a mix to, but I would say that the majority are sooc as my editing skills are no where near that of the rest of these great photographers. Most of the editing I do though have to do with brightness and contrast, simple simple stuff.
I say, do what you know, and over time, you will get better at whatever it is you enjoy doing. If sooc is your thing, I bet that you will get better at it by just doing this project, so its a win win.
I admire those who can get a good shot SOOC. I am not a good enough to have great SOOC shots. I can hardly ever get what I really want out of a shot without editing. I really enjoy seeing what you can do with an edit or a touch up though. Sometimes I edit out of boredom and come up with something cool I never thought of before. I really like doing selective color. I loved it since the first time I saw it and was really excited when I figured out how to do it on gimp!
Personally I just thought posting a picture everyday was a neat challenge so I'm happy to be a part of it. This is such a cool way to document a year. Like you said though, it is nice to get a compliment every now and then :)
All of my shots are SOOC. I don't have a fancy camera and I don't use any editing software. I am here for the same reason you are and I am learning a lot by doing this. I also get inspired to do some different and creative shots. You are not alone in this! Thanks for letting ME know that I am NOT the only one! Keep on keepin' on!
Hi there...I am with you...with the exception of a b & w or maybe a crop here or there, that is what I do as well. You're definately not alone :) Not that editing is bad, but that's how mine are.....SOOC.
i am completely sooc except for the croping tool, other than that completely sooc. and my best picture i think i have ever taken sooc. is
hope you agree
Although I would love to learn a lot about editing photos, and I will eventually, mine are mostly Sooc. I will use picassa to crop and tweak slightly sometimes and add my name tho. I love to see all the fabulous editing and HDR, taking a photo from merely a photograph to ART. In the past ( for me anyway) all the tweaking was done in a darkroom and hence editing the original. It is all good. I wish that some of those that are editing would put more info on how they created their masterpieces as I feel this is a place to learn from each other and get better all the way around, whether it is Sooc or edited.
Most of what I do is SOOC because I really need to improve my photography skills. Ocasionally I'll crop. Yesterday was the first day I adjusted the color balance (there was a green light as I took the picture before a storm & it looked too green in the photo).
A few years ago I worked as a lab technician developing film & photos. Every photo print that a someone receives back from film developed in a good lab has been hand adjusted for color balance, contrast, lightness/darkness. Even the labs at grocery stores and 1 hour photo places adjust each print of the film by computer. So editing digital photos isn't much different. I just want to improve my photography, getting as close as I can without the edits.
I admire the creativity of the people who edit with skill. Editing just isn't my focus right now :-)
Good point-I am on holiday and feel I should run photos through photoshop before putting on 365 which takes extra time i don't have.. I know sooc is unedited but what does it stand fo??r-sorry to be so ignorant.
I would say that a good 95% of mine are SOOC - I am an editing idiot so even if I did edit it, it wouldn't be anywhere near the level of those on here.
@lynlong ~ the term stands for "straight off of camera".
@triciaanddazzle I totally agree with you!! I didn't decide to post on 365 so I could spend hours coming up with things for my computer to do! All of my shots are SOOC! Maybe there should be a subsection for purists like us!
While I'll continue the project -because I like the discipline for myself - I think there's an emphasis and competition about numbers, followers and comments that's frankly disturbing and unnecessary!!
A lot of my shots are SOCC because I am working on improving my compositional skills. Lately, I have not had the time to do any editing, even nudging the contrast or exposure. I try to note if the shot is SOCC or if I nudged the contrast, but I do not always have the time to do this. Some day, I will work on my editing skills. However, at this point, I am still learning about what makes a good picture (and learning my camera in and out).
I've been trying to submit SOOC shots too, the only thing I do is add my signature now. Everything else (so far) is untouched. I normally don't like editing the photos after I take them, I prefer them to look more natural. Sometimes I'll tweak the brightness a little, but normally not.
I'm rubbish with editing software so pretty much all of my project has been SOOC - only three have had any kind of editing done to them, and one of those was just a bit of selective cropping. I still have a few SOOC shots that I'm especially pleased with:
Im a BIG photoshop junkie.. Been using it for years (before i started photography) so a large portion of my work isnt SOOC. However I do feel the need to try and get the "best" image SOOC as possible to better my photography skills (or sometimes lack thereof)
There are a few images that i have that are SOOC tho, aside from Cropping which i dont rly consider to be "editing" anyway.
I am surprised that anyone would assume that any image straight from the camera requires no further effort and I had never heard of this silly acronym until I saw it being used under so many indifferent pictures that I finally realized that it seemed to be an excuse for not taking the time to look closely and make the necessary improvements, even if only cropping, straightening, toning down an intrusive highlight, etc. ... There is always room for improvement.
I do mostly SOOC photos...with cropping. I tend to like them that way...it's what I see that comes out in the photo. They might end up as "indifferent" photos, but I'm doing this for my own enjoyment. Sometimes things are nice just as they are...
Mostly SOOC though I do sometimes crop and just occasionally play with the light .... this is a recent "play" that pleased me!
But mostly I don't have time to edit so what you see is what the camera (on automatic) took!
Most of my pictures are SOOC, although sometimes I'll change the lighting if it's too dark or crop the photo to improve the composition in Picasa (or use its fix-everything button!). I've made a couple of collages, too.
I think photos with minimal or no editing are "real" photos, whereas heavily edited photos are more like artwork. Sometimes, I feel a bit cheated when I discover a photo I like has been edited, but if I view it as art rather than a photo, I can like it again.
To me, photography is about what comes out of the camera, not what comes out of Photoshop (or whatever). Art (in this context) is how people interpret the photo afterwards (i.e. what comes out of Photoshop).
I'm guilty of editing most of my pictures. I think I have some SOOC shots... but to be honest I can't remember which ones those are! XD I mostly change the colors or contrast... sometimes it's subtle and sometimes it's not. Is that a "bad" thing? I really like editing my photos. I've been messing about with Photoshop for years and I'm still learning new things about it. :)
@triciaanddazzle I must admit that a good percentage of my shots are edited. There are, however, a great majority that are SOOC (or SOOC except for a RAW adjustment here or there).
I think it still comes down to composition and basic photography skills. I don't get much satisfaction when my 'edited' shots become popular. I actually feel quite guilty (though I probably shouldn't). I do get more satisfaction out of the simple SOOC ones that hit the PP. These give you a great feeling.
I hope you continue to do your photos the way you choose to do them. This is about pleasing your self, not others. I know I also started this project to stretch the skills... though I do dabble in editing as well. If SOOC is how you shoot, then this is your art.
I think the real trick, to those of us who dabble with the editing side of things (not much different to processing done in a traditional light room) is to find the balance between the two. It's a sensitive mix and, if done right, can help you to really find yourself creatively.
Keep having fun and putting those great shots out. I'll be following!
I am new to this project and started it because I liked the idea of taking a picture a day for a year. I was starting to feel that maybe this is the wrong place for me to put my pictures since I really do not change, enhance, or do much by way of editing my pictures. Mainly because I have no idea how to. What I realized is that I started this to get myself to take a picture a day and it wasn't for the reward of having people follow me or comment on my pictures. But once I received my first comment that someone appreciated a picture I took, I found myself looking for more feedback.
Well, I love to hear when someone likes a shot I took, but I need to remind myself why I started in the first place.
It is a place to enjoy the creativity that others possess and possibly to improve my own skills in the meantime.
About a third of my photos are sooc, one of them even made pp which was wonderful! The rest of my shots are edited to some degree or another be it either a simple crop or change in contrast others are more heavily edited.
I really enjoy taking a photo which I don't think needs any editing and that I am proud of.
On the other hand I also really enjoy using paint shop to enhance my pictures. I will probably continue to have a mixture of sooc and processed pictures.
I'd like to say I admire people who's projects are all sooc but that would give the idea that processing them is something to feel guilty about or that shouldn't happen. I think there are a lot of talented people both who use sooc and those who have amazing editing skills so instead I'll just say I love seeing everyone's pictures however they choose to show them.
A majority of mine are sooc, especially lately since I got my new camera. The only thing I'll so sometime is crop or slightly lighten a picture. I used a photoshop software for a while, but since that trial ran out I haven't been doing much editing on mine. My aunt (@janberry) does a lot of sooc pictures too.
One of my self imposed project rules is that they are all taken on my phone camera and not edited in any way. When I get my ace membership I'll have a go at editing in a different album.
Mine are mostly Straight Out Of Computer. I have a couple of SOOP (Straight Out Of Phone) shots, but most everything in my project gets cropped or tweaked in some way.
I do SOOC exclusively......if you don't count the automatic mode on my camera...sssshhhh that's a secret - lol. I also love the challenge of not letting myself go in later and edit. Glad to see this thread!
now that I know what SOOC means, yep, no time for editing. I'd rather take 30 shots of the same subject and keep the ones I like. I think I learn more that way. So, what I see is what YOU (viewer) get!
Hey Tricia --A topic I can really relate to. I have been taking pictures for over 40 years with various film 35mm's. A new digital camera has NOT changed the way I photograph. When I take a photograph, it's DONE. No fiddling is necessary because I've taken 8,10,12 shots or more to achieve what I'm after. Maybe I capture it, maybe I don't. ( But the immediacy of viewing my results with a digital camera is an unbelievable plus that is still a thrill.) I wholeheartedly urge to keep on doing just what you said you were doing: "improving your photography skills." Learning and practicing basic skills is your foundation. Then edit if you want to. All the BEST to you in your efforts....Be well, Les
I started that way, and still try to limit my editing to crop, straighten, a little shadow adjustment and take out the noise. Every so often I push it a bit, but part of this for me is to push what I have always done.
I do have to say, while I am okay with the ideal of HDR, I am starting to get a bit tired of always having to look at such unreal and over processed photos.
@brumbe ... I agree with your thoughts. If only people would actually LOOK at what they are doing, THINK about what kind of result they are aiming for, and DECIDE what treatment, if any, is needed ..... instead of pressing buttons at random (or stubbornly refusing to press any at all) and assuming that the result, however unnatural, must be 'right', they would learn so much more.
We can learn so much from each other here, and I am immensely grateful for all the encouragement I have received in the three months since I joined. There are some very talented people here, and just as many with perhaps less experience but very keen to learn by sharing, as well as a few who seem satisfied that they have achieved their peak ... but this project is for each of us to enjoy in our own very individual ways, so good luck to us all!
I understand what you mean. Unfortunately, I feel like editing will make my photos better, which defeats the purpose of photography. However, it is fun to edit the tones and contrast of the photo just to create a different mood. I will try to submit more SOOC shots though, because it will then be my GENUINE photography. :)
@wordpixman I do look at what I'm doing and think about what I'm aiming for, I just don't think about treatment...I really want to learn about photography, about what I can achieve with my camera, about what I can convey with what I see through the lens. I don't think that anything I upload is the ultimate I can achieve, and I'm not against editing, but I want to improve my photography skills, not my editing skills and so I post SOOC. When I feel that I am comfortable with my skills with a camera I'll move into improving what I take with editing, but I honestly believe that you can't make a bad photograph a good one with editing, so I'd like to be able to take good photographs first :)
Like others, I have neither the time nor inclincation to edit my pictures, aside from one I cropped. And I have to remind myself that this project is for me and my purposes, even in the midst of so much talent and amazing work. I really do appreciate those that acknowledge how their photo was edited because I used to think everyone was just THAT good & it helps me understand what they've done! I like understanding how much (or little) effort went into getting those beautiful results. I know for some, trying out different effects is part of their 365 learning curve so it's all about what each of us is here to accomplish.
I am fairly new to 365 and sometimes do not understand what the abbreviations mean, but thankfully one of your replies broke down the meaning of SOOC. Yes, that's how I shoot with a little point and shoot digital. It is VERY frustrating at times because of its limited abilities. But, right now, I do not have the resources to upgrade. On the other, this truly has caused me to LOOK very carefully at what I'm shooting and how my camera will handle it. I guess I'm a purist. I prefer to see and shoot rather than shoot and manipulate. However, I think there is an art to editing as well. I've come to appreciate how people see beyond what they took and shape their picture to that vision. I may dabble with some editing at some point, but I'm not compelled at this point to give it a try. If you enjoy the challenge of SOOC, you should stick with it. I think it forces it's own kind of creativity which is always good for the mind and soul.
I hardly ever edit and if I do, it might just be to crop so a subject is a bit closer. I have no problem with the amount of editing other people do, but I don't really know much about editing and don't have time to fiddle around with photos myself. So generally what you see is what I clicked!
@desertchild I always hesitate to suggest that someone is wrong, but ....
Editing does not defeat the purpose of photography, and SOOC can in no way be described as genuine photography, but just an unfinished part of the process. None of the great photographers, past or present, would ever publish an image without at least attempting some improvement.
In the early days, working with glass plates and having to calculate shutter speed, f/stop, focus, etc.,manually without any form of automation, the only tools available after developing the negative were the choice of printing paper (soft, normal or hard, depending on the gamma and contrast of the negative) followed by the dodging and burning while exposing the print, all of which took time and considerable skill, but they never failed to do it because they wanted to show their work at its very best.
Sadly, as in so many other human endeaviours, progress has resulted in a loss of pride in craftmanship, and now that digital cameras do everything for us at the touch if a button, and can take a dozen exposures in the time it would have taken to put a new plate in the camera for a second shot, there is a tendency to believe that whatever comes out of the camera must be perfect, and that the acronyn 'SOOC' is sufficiet to excuse a total lack of interest after pressing the button. I happen to think that misses out on much of the enjoyment, but we all have the right to use photography as we please, and there are still some of us who strive for a better result, whatever it takes. (I do not include software gimmicks, which are so often also responsible for further horrors if not understood and carefully controlled!)
Your totally awesome for doing this all SOOC. I think it takes lots skill. But for me, I feel like editing the photos is part of the art... if that makes sense? like, im always exited to upload my pictures and edit them, its my favorite part. It lets you open the original picture to your interpretation, make it own, and give your personal style. I just think its a cool way to enhance a photo, and change it a little from what you see everyday. But hey, your photos are awesome...they dont really need editing. If thats what you like, and it works for you...go for it!
Then again, im only 15 and not very experienced in all of this, and sorry if I may have repeated what others have said...i havent had the chance to read all of the comments, but thats basically what i think! :)
@triciaanddazzle I am such a newbie I am not sure what sooc means, but I only have the iphoto program on my computer, so I guess I am mostly sooc. Thanks for the the discussion, I actually learned a ton from the replies.
I've done my best to keep the project SOOC, including skipping cropping. I want to see my actual photography skills improve. Maybe next year I'll work on my editing skills, it just seems like too much to take on right now, I'll admit.
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I don't worry how I get my image... rather I am a big fan of making sure I get what I wanted... no surprises... interesting subject, great comp, drama... those are my only concerns... how I get there... don't really care...
Your photos are not plain - at least in my opinion. They are, in fact, pretty awesome. :) And now I'm following you so I can learn from YOU. :)
On a brighter note, I'm not too big into editing... every once in awhile I do a lot of it because I'm bored (yesterday's pic as an example). Other than that it's sometimes a crop, always a resize for web, watermark depending on my moods, and light levels/curves. I also shoot a lot of film, so like @icywarm I'm far from SOOC with that by the mere fact film is like that.
I'm with you on the SOOC pictures - I have resized (to make it quicker to upload), cropped and tilted (to correct a wonky horizon), but generally most of my pics are straight from the camera. I would love to know how to edit and process some of my photos to get a better effect, but then they become more photographic art and less artistic photo. I see it as a continuum, with my work tending to the photo side.
@hmgphotos I know my camera helps with the various settings. I meant more along the lines of taking them into photoshop and doing selective coloring, adjusting the hue or saturation, messing with the levels...things like that. I would like to on some photos, and sometimes I do, but I just save them for myself.
@icywarm That's amazing that you develop your own photos. if I knew how that whole process worked, I would love to do it all myself. Kudos to you!
@brittgow That's a very good way to word it. That's how I feel. Well said.
I can completely understand your desire to focus on composition, framing, and a seldom-used term: mise-en-scene.
Mise-en-scene is a French term meaning the visual theme of a film, or everything that you would see through the film gate. The color of the walls, lamps, patterns on the rugs, the types of furniture used, the placement of the people, all combined to create the mise-en-scene of a dining scene.
In photography, we don't have the ability to pain the walls and pick the furniture, but we do have the ability to determine what is in the frame and what is not. I am proud of you for realizing this and making an effort to shoot the photos without these distractions and obstructions.
SOOC works for now, but keep in mind the editing process is like kicking the extra point in football: every time you score a touchdown, you have to kick that extra point.
My plan is to work on sooc shots for a year, then once I make it there, I'll include edits in my project. Like I said, I'm editing some, I just don't post them here. I have to keep sharp or I'll forget it all within a year...well, not all, but it wouldn't look as nice.
I am always amazed by what some people produce SOOC and only wish that some day i can produce the same , but right now i do edit the heck outta my shots to achieve something im happy with , sometimes i think im doing the wrong thing and other times i think to heck with it because im doing what i enjoy doing :)
And you should see my "good" photos from a couple years ago. Ha! Laughable. I've improved, in my opinion, over time. I'm sure you will too.
Personally I feel that by working sooc you learn more, you have to work with the environment and camera settings more, you literally cannot point and shoot, you have to encompass all of the variables to ensure the photo works. Working sooc enables me to learn my camera and to learn all of the different technical aspects. I joined 365 to learn photography, not to become fantastic at editing. I gain a better feeling of achievement if I produce a good photo sooc than editing it to within a inch of its life :o)
@michelleyoung Thank you! And ditto to pretty much all of that you said. I'm working on photography skills, then editing skills. Sometimes I would like to post an edited shot, like my self portrait, but I don't. I think it would have improved the image to make the darks darker and the lights lighter [which I did and saved on my computer] but that's not how it really looked there. I think that if I improve my skills, I won't have to improve my editing skills as much, since the photo will speak for itself...that's what I hope anyway.
Any I did alot of processing to I note in the description & shots where I haven't done anything I always label as sooc.
tried it on one shot last week and was going to upload but it felt wrong as its just not my style
SOOC
@triciaanddazzle I understand what you mean by doing a great composition for a sooc picture, I really find it very interesting. And to answer your question, I post either sooc or not but always mention it. You really have great pictures Tricia.
I do mean SOOC as well, no cropping, no straightening, no nothing - what you see is what I took :)
If I feel some editing would improve a photo, I'll post it in my second album - my 365 stays SOOC.
Some of my pics...
I love to know my camera thoroughly. For me (although I don't know how to do alot of it) the editting knowledge and skills people have help to finish off the whole package sometimes. Clever editting can set apart a photo from similar ones. I guess its whether you appreciate art or photography as I think heavily editted shots become whole *new* pieces of artwork. Which can be great. Thats what i love about photography though.... soooooo many possiblities.
@wolfbittink If I used my cell phone my photos would look terrible! It's not the best quality, by far.
@kmrtn6 That's a beautiful reflection shot!
@jannaellen It's not a disappointment! You should take pictures that you like and edit them how you want. If it's what feels right, go for it. There will always be nay-sayers and there will always be...praisers? Haha. I think everybody should do shots that make them happy.
@parisouailleurs I think cropping is ok, but that's just me. Sometimes I can't get close enough to my subject [like the frog I took, he would have jumped away] so I did crop a tiny bit so the details were more apparent. That's how I feel though. A lot of people would probably disagree and say it doesn't count for sooc. Thanks for looking at my album!
@minxymissk Karen, I'm already a follower. You have beautiful shots! Something for me to shoot for :)
@jennlouise I agree that editing can give a shot an entirely new meaning. I plan on editing after I finish a year of sooc, that way I get a better feel for my camera, and have a better grasp on lighting and composition.
@annielf My sentiments exactly.
I've been in a dilemma lately as to how well iphones or all the phones now that can take all the work out of what I"m trying to obtain. Makes me a little perturbed to it.. But that's technology and you can't stop that. So, in my humble opinion.... it is to each their own. And like some that have said here... I usually include in my caption rather it is a SOOC shot or not. (I don't know how many are on this project, I belong to so many photography forums, I've lost track) I think you reach a point no matter which way you start out doing, SOOC first or 'snap shot' editing first... you reach a point on how much and how far YOU want to learn and grow with photography.... You can edit away on a bad photo till the sun rises, it's usually still a bad photo.
So far, I have been posting my pictures very much as they appear, only cropping. In time I may experiment and find that I really get inspired by the world of post processing.
I think there is room on here for many styles and i love seeing the world through other peoples eyes :)
I say, do what you know, and over time, you will get better at whatever it is you enjoy doing. If sooc is your thing, I bet that you will get better at it by just doing this project, so its a win win.
Personally I just thought posting a picture everyday was a neat challenge so I'm happy to be a part of it. This is such a cool way to document a year. Like you said though, it is nice to get a compliment every now and then :)
hope you agree
A few years ago I worked as a lab technician developing film & photos. Every photo print that a someone receives back from film developed in a good lab has been hand adjusted for color balance, contrast, lightness/darkness. Even the labs at grocery stores and 1 hour photo places adjust each print of the film by computer. So editing digital photos isn't much different. I just want to improve my photography, getting as close as I can without the edits.
I admire the creativity of the people who edit with skill. Editing just isn't my focus right now :-)
@lynlong ~ the term stands for "straight off of camera".
While I'll continue the project -because I like the discipline for myself - I think there's an emphasis and competition about numbers, followers and comments that's frankly disturbing and unnecessary!!
There are a few images that i have that are SOOC tho, aside from Cropping which i dont rly consider to be "editing" anyway.
Generally my sunsets I leave SOOC [:
Here is one that is sooc thanks for explaining it to me . This was taken at night with a high ISO.
For myself, the photo is either good or it's not, I save it or delete it.
Great question!!
But mostly I don't have time to edit so what you see is what the camera (on automatic) took!
I think photos with minimal or no editing are "real" photos, whereas heavily edited photos are more like artwork. Sometimes, I feel a bit cheated when I discover a photo I like has been edited, but if I view it as art rather than a photo, I can like it again.
To me, photography is about what comes out of the camera, not what comes out of Photoshop (or whatever). Art (in this context) is how people interpret the photo afterwards (i.e. what comes out of Photoshop).
I think it still comes down to composition and basic photography skills. I don't get much satisfaction when my 'edited' shots become popular. I actually feel quite guilty (though I probably shouldn't). I do get more satisfaction out of the simple SOOC ones that hit the PP. These give you a great feeling.
I hope you continue to do your photos the way you choose to do them. This is about pleasing your self, not others. I know I also started this project to stretch the skills... though I do dabble in editing as well. If SOOC is how you shoot, then this is your art.
I think the real trick, to those of us who dabble with the editing side of things (not much different to processing done in a traditional light room) is to find the balance between the two. It's a sensitive mix and, if done right, can help you to really find yourself creatively.
Keep having fun and putting those great shots out. I'll be following!
Well, I love to hear when someone likes a shot I took, but I need to remind myself why I started in the first place.
It is a place to enjoy the creativity that others possess and possibly to improve my own skills in the meantime.
God bless!
I really enjoy taking a photo which I don't think needs any editing and that I am proud of.
On the other hand I also really enjoy using paint shop to enhance my pictures. I will probably continue to have a mixture of sooc and processed pictures.
I'd like to say I admire people who's projects are all sooc but that would give the idea that processing them is something to feel guilty about or that shouldn't happen. I think there are a lot of talented people both who use sooc and those who have amazing editing skills so instead I'll just say I love seeing everyone's pictures however they choose to show them.
I do have to say, while I am okay with the ideal of HDR, I am starting to get a bit tired of always having to look at such unreal and over processed photos.
We can learn so much from each other here, and I am immensely grateful for all the encouragement I have received in the three months since I joined. There are some very talented people here, and just as many with perhaps less experience but very keen to learn by sharing, as well as a few who seem satisfied that they have achieved their peak ... but this project is for each of us to enjoy in our own very individual ways, so good luck to us all!
Editing does not defeat the purpose of photography, and SOOC can in no way be described as genuine photography, but just an unfinished part of the process. None of the great photographers, past or present, would ever publish an image without at least attempting some improvement.
In the early days, working with glass plates and having to calculate shutter speed, f/stop, focus, etc.,manually without any form of automation, the only tools available after developing the negative were the choice of printing paper (soft, normal or hard, depending on the gamma and contrast of the negative) followed by the dodging and burning while exposing the print, all of which took time and considerable skill, but they never failed to do it because they wanted to show their work at its very best.
Sadly, as in so many other human endeaviours, progress has resulted in a loss of pride in craftmanship, and now that digital cameras do everything for us at the touch if a button, and can take a dozen exposures in the time it would have taken to put a new plate in the camera for a second shot, there is a tendency to believe that whatever comes out of the camera must be perfect, and that the acronyn 'SOOC' is sufficiet to excuse a total lack of interest after pressing the button. I happen to think that misses out on much of the enjoyment, but we all have the right to use photography as we please, and there are still some of us who strive for a better result, whatever it takes. (I do not include software gimmicks, which are so often also responsible for further horrors if not understood and carefully controlled!)
Then again, im only 15 and not very experienced in all of this, and sorry if I may have repeated what others have said...i havent had the chance to read all of the comments, but thats basically what i think! :)