On “Retouching” Photos
Editing pictures certainly seems to have come up a lot recently. I have a few things to say.
- Technically, if you want to know the truth, most of my photos are “retouched”. Picasa by Google has a button called “I’m feeling lucky” that does some good things to colors and contrast and I usually will hit this before I post a picture.
- What is a picture anyways? Its certainly not “reality”. I mean we don’t even ever experience technical reality. Our eyes and all their complicated mechanisms and our brain always process “reality” before we are able to perceive it.
- Since a picture is not “reality”, but rather something close, at what gradation of “closeness” does it actually cease to respresent what we would consider “reality”?
- If I take a picture does it make it any less realistic if I tweak a few things? How about if I change a lot of things?
When I get some time I’ll post some side-by-side images of before and after to give you a better idea of what I’m talking about.
On a separate note, I saw a good talk last night by Robert Jensen, professor of journalism at the University of Texas, Austin on white privledge and institutionalized racism. I particularly enjoyed him saying
“George Bush is the poster child for unearned white privledge in America”
The great thing about that quote is that it is true wholly separate of his policy, so it’s something everyone can agree on! Yeah!
Allright, now I have to finish getting ready to teach in 35 minutes.
I look forward to seeing your side-by-side images!
p.s. Does this web blog have a spellcheck?
Are you skeeting on reality, like Davy did when he turned 21? Mwahahaha….
Hey I like your new layout. It is very Ed Merrittastic and rexfarucaoulightful!
what did i misspell?
There is definitely a fine line with picture editing I think, a line that is drawn at different places for different people.
“I think it looks real”
“I don’t”
Oooppps
At some point maybe I’ll change and start caring whether or not my pictures look “realistic” again.
I’m for diversity! Real and Unreal!!
You mis-spelled complicated and it’s.
I agree a picture in the digital format is much more easily “retouched” than a photo on film (though filters and shutter speed can definitely manipulate photographs). I did some thinking about what pictures are and I think it’s the photographers way of trying to convey some message about how they “perceived” reality at a given time and place. That being the case, than I feel augmenting a photograph is fine in order to convey the artists intended goal and message.
I don’t see any inherent or intrinsic reason why one should not modify photographs. They are only images that reflect a fragment of reality during a fragment of time. When we photograph things, we choose which fragments we want to capture. When we edit them, it is just another manipulation of the medium, as routinely occurs in other art forms. If people did not push the boundaries, then there would be fewer innovations (i.e. we might still be using camera obscura, daugerrotypes, etc, or photography would not have developed as an art form, or something of that nature… imagine all the places where we could have stopped innovating technology or technique). No one asks painters or sculptors to convey things in exact, precise detail. There are often things that we strive to capture in pictures, but are unable to because of lighting and other such things. Why pose an arbitrary limit?
That said, I think your pictures (and Davy’s) could be used to justify retouching. You both have a knack for photographing and editing.
My photgraphic editing skills are basically limited to pressing a single button.
I’m not trying to limit anything, just discuss something that seemed to be topical.
Thanks for commenting Luke and Eben. Luke is a cool guy, you Asheville folk would like him. And imagine this, he has never been anywhere in the southeast, except Florida.
I agree with Eben. You have a great talent for spotting a fragment, and sharing what you perceive with others. Keep it up, we love to see your photos.
Just for the record, you shot two videos.
First one video, then two videos. We don’t need no stinking apostrophe!
I enjoyed the videos. They confirm my suspicions, that I never want to ski,or snowboard, but I am happy that you find such pleasure in it!
You guys are mentally masturbating with each other, sad.