Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Is Photoshop Cheating?

There are those among us who think if you do anything to your photo after you take the picture then that's cheating.

If one painter only has a dozen colors to work with and one has 64 colors to begin with, are they cheating to use the extra colors they have available?

Do I cheat? Yes, I do and I'm proud of it. I will lighten eyes, darken skin, remove pimples, increase contrast, increase color saturation, and occasionaly do something creative like this.

I create images to give an emotional response to the viewer. I consider Photoshop and other computer programs like it as tools of the trade. This arguement is not something new. I remember when some argued that it was cheating to use filters, or electronic flash. The only thing that I consider cheating in photography, is when the photographer closes his or her mind and stops trying to be as creative as possible.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The Emotion of Color

I showed this photo to the mother recently and she said, "It kind of creeped her out." Keep in mind she had two miscarriages before this child and this one was a life and death struggle for the first several months.


The same mother had no problem with the B&W baby and a bright pink bow in the hair.


This made me curious about how color or lack there of can effect the emotional state of the viewer. Obviously personal history has a lot to do with it, but I post this shot with a general question.

How does it make YOU feel?