The Biggest Lie In Photography

'The perfect image doesn't need any editing.' The biggest lie in photography.

Today, there is a massive misconception that the perfect photograph doesn't need any editing.

Wait till you see the shock when you tell a non-photographer that all professional photographers edit their images.

Photograhy isn’ just about capturing the moment. Perhaps for journalists and ‘naturalists’ it is.

But if photography means more to you than just capturing the moment, then this is for you.

If you’re also a naturalist, I'm about to open up your mind.

How A 1940s Photographer Revolutionized Editing

See, photography is an art form today. But let’s talk about a photographer who lived in an era when photography was never considered an art.

Let’s talk about the legendary Ansel Adams.

In case you haven't heard about him, you absolutely should look into him.

Ansel Adams is universally considered the founding father of modern landscape photography. His photographs included high-contrast, dramatic, black-and-white images of the American West. He wasn't just good at operating the camera; he was known as the ultimate master of light.

He also revolutionized pre-visualization - visualizing a finished photograph even before capturing it.

He defined landscape and conservation photography.

However, he is mistakenly known as the photographer who got everything right on camera.

Many innocent 'naturalists' probably use Ansel Adams as a shield to defend unedited work as 'pure' photography.

I stand to correct you that he, too, did not capture everything perfectly on camera. He never wanted to.

To him, photography was never about capturing a mirror-like natural scene; it was about emotional interpretation.

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Ansel Adams: 'The Tetons and the Snake River'

Can you imagine this was shot in 1942! CRAZY

For him, capturing the scene was the first half of the process. The second half was post-processing.

That image you see isn't 'pure'. It was actually processed.

Beautifully. Look at that incredible variance in exposure!

So yes, images were edited in the 1940s, too.

Not on Lightroom, but in the Darkroom :)

For him, he argued that raw images only flatly captured what he saw, but not his emotions.

I'm not saying he used to clone moons and trees, but he definitely enhanced his images to match the true nature of his emotions, not the actual scene.

In the dark room, he would bring out shadows and darken highlights by physical processes, which is today known as dodging and burning. He also added contrast to the photos using specific chemicals.

He believed and fought for photography as an art form to express the self, at a time when it was something that the world didn't believe in, especially because it was just a 'mechanical box' that created that 'art'.

How I see Photography Today

Photography is an art form, and it is highly subjective. Everyone has their own opinions and boundaries when it comes to nature photography, and that is totally fine.

What matters is that we should never look down upon specific art forms.

Remember, it's about personal taste.

We are doing it mainly for ourselves.

It's a creative and emotional expression of the self.

To me:

• RAW images look boring and unrepresentative of what I want to express.

• I love enhancing images because they add personality to my art. Editing completes my photography.

• Manipulation of wildlife images is where I draw the line for myself. I wouldn't change the sky or clone/remove a subject from an image. Just my personal boundaries. (Others do this, and it looks incredible).

Just live and let live.

If the father of fine art and modern landscape photography believed in editing,

Then, who are we to say editing is cheating?

Until next time,

Dhir

P.S

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