[Leica] Christmas Tree Adjustments

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Philippe Orlent offered:
Subject: Re: [Leica] Christmas Tree Adjustments


> Ted,
> Although I very often agree with what you write, I don't completely go 
> with
> what you say about PS.
> True, it's always better to start with a magnificent photo, but implying
> that one that is not cannot be saved, is one bridge too far IMHO.<<<<<,

Philippe mon ami,
Possibly a mis-interpretation of my meaning. Or.My poor use of language and 
the meaning. :-)

What I mean is, if the photograph isn't a solid well shot photo to start 
with, the fiddling with in PS will only take it so far to being perfect, but 
it can be enhancing if one wishes to do so. This can even be in the sense of 
being softly out of focus, then played with in PS to "sharpen it" as that 
can only be taken so far to correct a "handling error at the moment of 
exposure." However a reasonable use of PS.

Sure a picture can be saved by many means of manipulation in PS, but the 
original image can only be saved to a point depending what the corrections 
are and depending on the subject. Say in the sense of photojournalism where 
our pictures are supposed to be truthful and as the scene is viewed as a 
reproduction  of " real life as it happened." .

But as you say....

>>>> "> I've seen miracles happening with PS in the hands of gifted image 
>>>> editors.<<<<<<<

No question, as I've been amazed by friends whom are brilliant in the use of 
PS. But you can only take a real life situation to correction so far when 
it's a real life captured moment, before it becomes a lie through PS 
changes.

> True, you can very often feel that a certain image has undergone the PS
> treatment, and a lot of digital photography looks easily too harsh, but I
> consider this to be a result of "putting tool in the wrong hands".<<<<,

And I completely agree with you on this point, as some folks take the PS 
manipulations way beyond common sense of reality.

> For me, PS has become an essential part of contemporary photography and a 
> tool that one
> uses to get as near to the image you imagined when shooting it as 
> possible.<<<<

Now in this case as you describe, I see it as an "art form picture." 
Therefore doing manipulation is anyway you want to take it to whatever your 
imagination allows. Therefore a "true saving to your mind's eye original 
concept!" But I do not see changing a photojournalistic photo to what  "your 
imagination thinks it should look like."  If that's the case, then that's 
cheating, lying and over use of PS!

That's a whole new game, real life compared to an art form! And we may be 
talking about 2 forms of using Photoshop for saving or correcting a final 
photograph? No?

regards,
ted