Has good photography become the skill of good post-processing?

Digital photography has brought with it the revolution of digital retouching. Has it become a question now of who can edit images the best?
Has good photography become the skill of good post-processing?
In a lot of ways yes, but no more so than it was with the old chemicals and baths. The ability to digitally enhance an image takes expertise and skill just as the taking of the image does. I would not seperate the two.. it is the 21st Century!
Has good photography become the skill of good post-processing?
Well I still believe in the old adage %26quot;Get it right in the camera.%26quot;


Ansel Adams didn%26#039;t invent the %26quot;Zone System%26quot; for exposure and printing because he was bored. He wanted to produce a perfect negative and perfect print with a minimum of darkroom manipulation.





Yes, back in the day of the darkroom there were certain things that you could do like burning and dodging but nothing on the scale of what can be done today.
Reply:The concept of %26quot;Garbage in, Garbage out%26quot; still holds true to digital photography. Digital retouching has its limits and over photoshopped photos often take an alright picture and turn it ugly.
Reply:No, I do not think post processing has, or ever will, take the place of good photography right in the camera. What drives me nearly screaming into the woods is how many people THINK that ALL great photos are just done in the computer. All you have to do is spend some time on here and read some of the questions. So many people think any crap photo taken with any crap camera can be magically transformed into some magnificent work or art, regardless of the initial in camera shot or skill of the photographer. THAT is what irritates me no end. Too many young people don%26#039;t want to consider the idea that skill and photographic knowledge is still, and always will be, the number one factor to good photographs. Any post processing work should be nothing more than simple adjustments, no different than what a good darkroom artist would do with film.





Now when you start getting into the whole graphic design thing, to me that is no longer photography, and is an art unto itself.





My two cents.





steve
Reply:If you are fairly good with a camera, then there is not much use in going back and doing the useless things that detracts from a good photo.





Most of my good shots only have to be lightened a bit and that%26#039;s it





http://curbsideview.blogspot.com/


curbside view
Reply:Yes and no





I edit very little of my shots (from the XT), but when it comes down to my misfit camera the LOMO Fisheye 2 http://shop.lomography.com/fisheye/


its pure skill.





It seems if you shoot film you have to have skill, If you shoot digital its 55% Angle and Zoom and Composition (skill) and 45% Contrast and Crop ext.
Reply:I still use the chemicals and film to do some of my photos. It is real photography to me. I could take a horrible picture with a digital camera and just edit it to make it look amazing. that is no photography skills. When using the chemicals and enlargers it really makes the picture yours. With digital it has become who can edit the photo better. I feel like it looses so much when that is done. I love the old way because i can say i took an amazing photo without all the edits
Reply:Photography is - and always has been - a two-step process:


1. Capturing the image on film or sensor;


2. Processing the negative or original file into a completely realized image (either printed or electronic).





The skills required for a quality capture have not changed.





Nor have the functional aspects of good photography: exposure, light %26amp; shadow, shutter speed, aperture, focus and composition.





After that ... well, digital technology has become so ubiquitous that it can be used by skilled and unskilled alike; by artists and charlatans; geniuses and goofballs.





The secret - as always - is to develop the skill of discrimination: accept what you find pleasing or useful ... and ignore the rest.