Is Post-Processing Faking it or Creating it?

Post-processing talk is my cup of tea! Okay, well, everything landscape photography gets me pretty excited, and I could talk for hours about endless topics. However, post-processing an image is an interesting little conversation that sometimes gets a bad rep in discussions.

Now you're welcome to hold your own opinion about the benefits and disadvantages of post-processing. However, my opinion will always favour the benefits of post-processing. You'll hear me even go as far as to say that post-processing is mandatory in creating artful landscape photography. 

One of the objections I hear from time to time about post-processing is that it's "cheating." I've even heard someone go as far as stating that post-processing produces a "fake" photo.

Why is it that photographers often get a bad rep when they admit, and I've seen sometimes sheepishly, that their images are processed in post? I think you should be shouting from the rooftops and proudly laying claim to the fact that you are a photographer who post-processes your images.   

Bear with me here for a minute while I share a little analogy.  

Let's think about an artist. Rarely do I hear an artist being chastised for creating their artwork. Instead, artistry is celebrated and encouraged. "Wow, your technique is so artistic!" Or, "Your art is so unique and next to none!"

Now the artist must gather all her tools and supplies to create her work of art. Then, with the knowledge she has in her craft, that artist must design then draft her piece. At this point, the artist then infuses her unique and personal style into creating her final work of art.

Similarly, the photographer must prepare her photography gear. She'll then use her knowledge about capturing landscape photos, which will be a mastery of technique, use of light, and composition to create her image. Her camera will be her tool to "draft" her final product. Once she has uploaded her RAW image data and imported it into her favourite post-processing program, it's here that she can infuse her vision into an image and create her work of art. 

Perhaps her use of post-processing is more of a light touch, or maybe she heavily edits her files into their final masterpiece. There's nothing fake about either approach. Lightly edited or heavily tweaked...this is part of the creation of art in landscape photography. 

^{ISO 64, 14mm, f10, 1/30 sec}

Does this mean you cannot create a beautiful image straight out of the camera? Absolutely not! In fact, you must strive for high quality and technically correct images in-camera as post-processing is never a fix for poor camera technique. But, like an artist perfects her method in creating her masterpiece, so should you. 

Oh, and as an aside, if you choose a jpeg file format and think that your images are not post-processed, well, they are. When a jpeg format is selected, you give your camera permission to process your images according to the chosen in-camera picture profile. You're handing over the final outcome of your images to your camera.  

So why not call photography what it is...Art! It's time for you to take control of your art and infuse those final touches in post-processing into your photos with your own personal flair. Photographs are created, and post-processing is the final touch to that process. There's nothing fake about post-processing; instead, it's the final step in creating your work of art.