Photography and Art

Where does photography turn into art? Most people are happy with a photo if it looks good in the camera. Do you realize that the software in your camera is making a LOT of changes to create that photo versus what the actual sensor detects? If you were present at the scene, you want the photo to look like you saw in your mind and maybe a bit enhanced in areas that drew you to take the photo. Capturing what your mind sees is the holy grail of photography and is what the software it trying to duplicate. Most professional photographers shoot what is referred to as "flat" and "RAW". That is, the photo file captures only what the sensor detects - and in the full color/detail range possible in the sensor. I could go deeper here but most people don't really care. The captured data with these settings will not likely match your eye or your desire for the final product. However, by starting with the raw ingredients, the photographer can essentially bake their own cake using photo editing software to produce the photo they want to share. I always laugh when someone asks me if I edited a photo. I edit EVERY photo I share and so does your camera behind the scenes.

The sky was heavy overcast and thick with haze the day we took our sightseeing boat trip. I looked to shore and saw some interesting sky and foliage and took a shot from the rocking boat. The first photo is directly out of the camera - no editing. You can see what I mean by shooting flat - missing contrast, color, and detail. This does not match my memory at all. You also see the camera was not level (tilted slightly counter-clockwise). Water is a heck of a level indicator. You see that the photo has too much foreground water and barely enough sky. Is the photo worth saving? Yes because I want to share with you what I saw. Spending about 20 minutes on this image in photo editing software resulted in the second photo. Does it match your taste? Maybe not but I'm happy with it. Is the shot a photograph or is it an artistic interpretation of a scene? No answer from me.

Thanks,

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