Digital BW, The Print

At 1:35 AM -0400 9/16/02, Austin Franklin wrote:
>Hi Gus,
>
>I must admit, it is less of a photograph to me if it's seen heavy PS
>manipulation.  It moves from photograph to graphics art in my book...of
>course, where to draw the line is quite unknown, at least for me.  Now, I
>didn't say it makes it less art, mind you, as both certainly can be on equal
>footing as far as art goes.
>
>One thing to keep in mind, is manipulation in PS is FAR FAR FAR much easier
>than doing so in a "normal" darkroom, and as such, people tend to do it more
>so.  That's why I'd ask if has something been "PS'd" far more than if it had
>been "DR'd".
>
>Regards,
>
>Austin


This argument has been going on long before I got seriously 
interested in photography over 30 years ago...the "purists" vs the 
"manipulators".  Most people don't realize that some of the most 
venerated photographers were heavy manipulators of the silver gelatin 
media.  Ansel Adams and W. Eugene Smith are just a couple that 
immediately come to mind.  I would be seriously surprised if any 
major art or advertising photographer today was part of the purist 
camp. Manipulation has always been part of the craft of photography 
and it is still being taught in Black and White Photography 101 in 
schools around the world...

Photoshop is by it's nature manipulative. "Selections" are the basis 
of most operations in Photoshop.  Those that seriously object to 
images being "heavily manipulated in Photoshop" don't really 
understand the intent and full scope of the program.  Seems clear to 
me that one of the intentions of developing this program was to go 
beyond the mechanical and chemical manipulations that were being done 
in the darkroom.  Spending the nearly $700 on this program just to 
use it to scan and print an image with no 
corrections/operations/manipulations...(choose your favorite word)... 
is a waste of money. I guess that's why Photoshop "Elements" was 
published.

Shall we go on to more fruitful topics such as abstraction vs realism 
in painting? ...on another list, of course!


Bill Agee
-- 

bill agee studio
capistrano beach, ca / laguna beach, ca

http://www.redsilver.com