Photo by Sina Kelvani
Photography manipulation is a way to alter images and an art in itself. To escape from the in-camera shot, there are many techniques that allow photographers to create striking images. Does it matter if the resulting images are far from realistic?
Fine art photography is a great example of how photographers show off their editing skills. We expect photographic manipulation withIn this photographic field. What about portrait or landscape photography? In fact, most images have some form of photographic manipulation. But when it is too much?
What is Photo Manipulation?
Photographic manipulation looks at how an image is altered through various editing software programs. Although not new, the use of digital photography and access to programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom has made photographic manipulation much easier.
Since the birth of the captured image, photographers and artists have been using darkroom techniques such as ‘dodging’ and ‘burning’ to enhance areas of their images. Ansel Adams, one of the world’s most famous landscape photographers extensively used these techniques when printing his landscape images. Even photographic printers (Pablo Inirio for Magnum) manipulated the tonal range of a scene to strengthen images for world-famous agencies and magazines.
Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships - Ansel Adams
How Much Photo Manipulation is Too Much?
Most images that we see, one way or another, have been through some sort of editing process. The processes might range from small adjustments, such as an increase in exposure or a white balance correction. Other processes are more involved, such as creating a montage from arranging elements from several different images. The more or heavier the processes used, the more the image changes into something different than what was captured in-camera.
The field or purpose of the image is what dictates the amount of photography manipulation allowed. There is a world of difference between what we call fine art and realistic photography, for example. Fine art comes from the photographer’s vision, where they are free to use as much photographic manipulation that their creative ideas require. We expect manipulation of the image, whether immediately obvious or not. When it comes to we see in news portals or alongside current events are, however, expected to use minor adjustments only. Photographic manipulation has the power to change the image, and therefore, the viewer’s interpretation of the scene.
As a whole, photographic manipulation is another way to create an image. Viewers sought out specific pieces as fine art for decoration. We still trust advertisement campaigns even though we know photo manipulation is at play. In the products, in the settings and backgrounds, and in the people in the advertisements themselves. Huge industries are made possible because of photographic manipulation techniques.
The difficulty comes in ambiguous descriptions of the images we look at. Some photographers let us know about the specific techniques they use, such as multilayering. But it’s rare to see details of every little change a photographer made to an image. If they did, most viewers would be stunned to see the number of adjustments made.
Landscape photographer Peter Lik is a photographer whose images go through a rigorous editing process. He released Moonlit Dreams back in 2018 which showed a rocky landscape with a supermoon as a background. The image caused some debate which was said to be unaltered. After some photographers pointed out lighting problems with the moon and the landscape co-existing, the moon was found to also exist in another image - Bella Luna. Later, the image Moonlit Dreams was, in fact, discovered to be a composite scene. If he hadn’t tried to pass his image off as real and unaltered, there would be no reason to discuss it.
Ways Images Can Be Manipulated HDR
HDR or High Dynamic Range is a process that helps balance a scene when capturing architecture, landscape and interior real estate images. It allows the photographer to collect details in the highlights and shadows of a scene without compromising the resulting overall image. When used correctly, it is a perfect way to show a scene in a realistic manner. However, it has been a trend for a few years where the image comes out as overdone or overcooked through an excess of contrast and mid-range tones.
Photo by Rob Darby
Replacing Skies
One of the most used photographic manipulation techniques is to change the sky from a given landscape scene, day or night. The reason is that the sky poses challenges to the photographer in the way or light and/or interest. In terms of light, the sky can add up to three stops of light in the daytime, putting any architectural or landscape elements at risk of underexposure. Equally important, a sky bathed in overcast weather is unappealing. By replacing the sky, photographers have more control over the image in completing their vision.
Photo by Pablo Mouriz Fontao
Arranged Elements
Fine art photographers are free to arrange elements in their scene to create an image that fits their creative and artistic vision. Documentary and landscape photographers, for example, are not. If they start to move, add and arrange elements in their scenes, they lose integrity from not showing their scenes as realistic. Peter Lik altering his images by adding the same, unnatural moon to several different images is a good example.
Photo by Ali Zolghadri
Photo by Hengki Lee
Colour Tone
Colour plays a large part in photography. Opposite colours act as a juxtaposition compositional technique, and complementary colours help to make a scene more appealing. Even the lack of colours creates artistic or creative shots through the use of black and white. By changing the colours and saturating the subject or scene with more colour, it comes out as more powerful. This subjective idea is difficult to address as colour ranges and tones are said to be different for everyone. Yet if they seem otherworldly, they are more-than-likely not captured in-camera.
Photo by Mustafa Öztürk
Sharpening
Photographers are limited to the elements that make up their scene, light being the most important one. Without the right light, any amazing subject can fall flat and not get the attention it deserves. Time is a very important factor, where some images are captured off-the-cuff, creating an image that lacks a sharp/crisp focus. Luckily, a sharpening tool can help add that well-needed edge in bringing out that focus and making the subject more important. Its overuse is apparent, as the rest of the scene is hit with a layer of grain and digital noise.
Photo by Claudio Moretti
Mixing Styles
By mixing different styles, a photographer can make an image more appealing and interesting. A scene might have the perfect light, and the composition might work, yet something is missing. By incorporating a different element, or adding in an element from a different scene of the same subject, it adds a wow factor that was previously missing.
Photo by Decreton Luc
Photo by Hans-wolfgang Hawerkamp
Saturation
The intensity or depth of colour in an image is described by its saturation. An increased saturation means stronger colours, and weaker colours come from a saturation decrease. This adjustment is a powerful tool for photographers, where a selective change in an area of an image can make it stand out from the other elements in a scene. A bright colour will grab the attention of the viewer more than pale colours, so the photographer can help place more focus in an area of the scene.
Photo by Atul Saluja
Softening
Portrait photography is one of the largest fields of photography, incorporating many different styles and purposes. Many photographers are inclined to step away from the characteristics that make up a face; namely blemishes, spots, wrinkles and even freckles. For marketing purposes, we understand that a face including blemishes doesn’t place a make-up product in the best light. Most portrait images will have varying intensities of softening, but when overused, the image becomes less real and subsequently less appealing.
Photo by Stéphane Rouxel
Conclusion
Whether we want to believe it or not, every image has been manipulated to some extent, even without our acknowledgement/permission. If we capture a scene on a digital camera, a colour profile is applied. This is how the sensor interprets the information in the scene (such as light and colour) due to pre-programmed settings. We then add it to editing software, where more settings can be automatically applied.
From then on, a little tweaking of the exposure or other adjustments can be added. Even if you were to capture on analogue film, each has its unique colour or black and white profiles due to the chemicals used. Scanning or printing the images will also change the image. You can’t escape it.
Typically, there is nothing wrong with digitally manipulated images. Without techniques such as the ones we looked at above, the photography world would be left without creative images and projects. There would be no Rhein II, for example, and each image would be showing real life, which we are accustomed to.