The JPG, The RAW and the Photoshopped

Something that I hear quite often is  I hate photoshopped pictures. Notwithstanding the huge Instagram movement. (1 Billion who wouldathunk it?). There is this feeling that somehow the pictures are less real and that instead of being a work of art its rather a work of technology. I think most of these people have forgotten about the world of painting which was  completely based upon interpretation.

First of all photography is about interpretation. Capturing reality while noble is very difficult to do with the limited nature of the photographic equipment that we have. Most people do not calibrate their screens so what looks like white  on my screen does not have the same look on your screen. Secondly the camera well its a limited tool. Try taking a picture of something in your computer room then take that picture put it on your computer screen and really look at it. Really take a critical look at it to see if it looks exactly like you see it . Probably the colors or "white balance" is off. Shadows that hint at things are completely black on the picture. If you happened to have capture a light source such as a lamp in your picture its a complete blast of white instead of the smooth change of intensity you see before you.  Frankly the range of the camera is limited and so as a photographer you have to make choices for what will you sacrifice to make what you really want to shine.

Ok,  Ok you say  that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the way Photoshop changes reality to  put trees in places there are no trees, or making people look 30 lbs lighter so you can't see things the way they really are. My first thought is anyone who has ever spent any time around the people who want to be photographed can appreciate that often times the way they stand, the way they turn their face, the makeup they wear is a choice because they want to highlight somethings and downplay others, and Photoshop is simply an extension of that. Secondly, Photoshop is a tool that is used by its craftsman to deliver to you a picture that is hopefully pleasing to your eye and tell you a story. I can appreciate that sometimes it bends the reality curve. I think with disclosure that is all part of suspending our reality to enjoy the moment. I personally believe that I might adjust something to make the picture more clear or  emphasize a point  but I don't try to deceive the viewer into believing something is there that is not in reality  there. However this is an artistic choice and in the end  we choose what people do by the choice of what we prefer to see so vote with your eyeballs and that should help choose the direction people go.

 Examples

 I have included three of the same picture to make a point. The first picture is quote "straight out of the camera" what people don't realize is that when they do that the camera actually warps the picture to what it thinks you wants.. things like increased sharpness, saturation of colors, deeper contrast. The second picture is a very close approximation of the picture "Zeroed" which means as the camera took it for real. Which is a raw image (few point and shoot and no camera phone I have seen so far, however most dslr's and above can get you this) so often times it is much flatter and is less "pretty". The last picture I touched up a bit to put my custom spin on the image.  They are all the same picture but what most people prefer is not really the "true" image but between the customization (one machine, the other human)

 I think of it as apples in the grocery store. Everyone wants healthy nice looking apples. Some people are willing to accept a few spots on their apples but most people they like their apples perfect and that my friend is not just a apple.