re: Wildlife and Nature Photos from the month of June

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Are wildlife/nature photographers doing this?

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Yes. Extensively.



Remove People from Landscape Photos with the CLONE STAMP tool

How to Remove ANYTHING in Lightroom

How to use Content Aware Fill in Photoshop

I could go on, but you get the idea...

I'll preface my following statements with the fact that when I was in 9th grade (over 40 years ago) asked for and I got a wet darkroom for Christmas. I was working with developer and fixer before many folks reading this were born....

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And altering as in photoshopping a plant, tree, bubbles, cloud, specimen, etc entirely out of the photo? Seems lame.

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I get the sentiment, I really do and when I was heavily into photography I tried to keep my images as true to the original scene as possible. But I also wasn't afraid to alter a image if I though it needed it.

But here's the philosophical question. What's the difference in doing a color correction, or a crop and using these other digital image manipulation techniques? All of them digital manipulation of the pixels that we see. Before digital photography, true masters of the craft (Ansel Adams for example) would extensively manipulate their images in the dark room. Would a painter get the same grief from simply not painting the distracting elements? What about using (physical) filters? I quite often would use all sorts on neutral density gradient filters to balance exposures across an image or to blur water or cloud motion. Many of the things that can be done in photoshop can and have also be done using wet darkroom techniques. From easy stuff like dodging and burning, to double and triple exposure I've altered many prints from what was exposed on the negative in my time. Those techniques just take alot more time, effort and patience that manipulating digital images. And there's no "undo" button if you screw up.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is this. A photographer is as much of an artist as a painter or a sculptor. All of these artists have a vision in their head of what they want to create. There are times when it's a photographers job to document things as they are occurring (photojournalism). But a landscape or nature photographer isn't a photojournalist. They are trying to emotionally reach their viewers with the images that create (and based on the responses in this thread JOJO is very good at this). But if removing an element helps evoke a stronger emotion from the viewing audience why shouldn't it be removed? (again JOJO gave his reasons for his choice not to do this, and they are good ones that no one can argue with. Once he explained his artistic philosophy I totally got why time images were presented as they were).

There are no right or wrong answers here. Folks should feel free to edit and present their images however they see fit. I'll personally not judge folks for doing so. When HDR or High dynamic range imaging first came out, I was a very loud critique for a variety of reasons. Then I realized a few things. It was a post processing answer to the physical limitations of the cameras of that time. But I also realized that art doesn't have to imitate the real world. It's OK for it to be an artists interpretation of what they see. To use an example from about. One can photography a subject using a fast shutter speed to stop motion or a slow shutter speed to give the illusion of motion. Neither are correct or incorrect. It's simply how the photographer wants to capture the scene in front of them.

Good things to ponder, appreciate your thoughts.

Just to add on to this discussion:

Ansel Adams, is a perfect example of a photographer who used editing techniques to his advantage in an era without digital tools. Despite not having access to advanced software like Lightroom or Photoshop, he meticulously employed the dodge and burn technique to alter and enhance his photographs. This technique involved manually controlling the exposure of specific areas of an image during the printing process, allowing Adams to adjust the contrast, brightness, and overall tonal balance. By strategically dodging (lightening) or burning (darkening) certain areas, he could emphasize certain elements, create dramatic effects, and convey his artistic vision in a manner that was beyond the limitations of his time.

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My external hard drive crashed and l lost the raw files and edits from from the beginning of this year to mid-May, along with the majority of everything I've taken since 2021.

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Back up your files! External hard drives are cheap.

I love your shots. Photography is a hobby of mine that I can't seem to find time for these days. Time to retire!