The picture below is from my birthday trip to Criccieth and I thought it would be a good one to play around with.
I reduced the saturation of all colours except green to bring out the railings. There was still some green in the background which I removed using the corrective brush tool. Added a bit of contrast and definition and brightened the green a bit.
I was pleased with the result so posted it on the North Wales Photography Facebook page. I didn't expect the heated debate that followed; whether there are proper rules for photography or whether it is completely freestyle. Should it be about faithfully reproducing what you see, or should you manipulate an image as much as you want. Do guidelines remove any possibility of creativity or do they help to produce a more aesthetically pleasing image?
Its a minefield with absolutely no wrong or right answers.
This is my own personal opinion and I daresay a lot of people out there won't agree, but this is what is in my mind when I take or edit photos:
I am more than happy with some basic editing on all pics, to improve definition, bring out contrast and enrichen colours.
I enjoy having fun with an image, like the one above. It obviously isn't how it looked in real life and I'm not trying to pretend it did.
I am happy to enhance my pictures rather than change them. If I don't like how the tree lines up, I will move with the camera, rather than airbrush the tree out later.
My images need to me to have a basis in what I actually saw. I want to make as many adjustments with the camera as I need to, rather than the computer.
After all, I am a Terminally Unfit Photographer, not Computer Programmer!
Lessons Learned: Photography is a hobby that people get very passionate about.
There is no right or wrong, only what works for you.
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