some things require digital modification due to limitations of tools.
for example, i want a whole set of singh ray filters, but that would set me back beyond my means. enter tianya filters, which come in ONE variety when it comes to GND. now tell me, without the aid of digital modifications, how is one to take a sunset photograph with huge dynamic range span?
something more fair is, a good photographer knows how to make the best of his tools.
and these tools include photographic software..
You mean a sunset like this?
The shot is exactly as recorded by the camera, no increase or decrease in dynamics or even an auto level adjustment. It's got the same contrast and dynamic range as the actual sunset. Careful exposure and knowing exactly how to shoot a sunset helps. No filters were used either.
If it's got a huge dynamic range then use HDR techniques if you don't have filters.
No filters used or needed. Singhray's I have a full set of ND Grads plus about a dozen custom filters made just for me. If you can't afford Singhrays then use Lee or if your on a budget Cokin. HDR techniques are nothing new, the techniques have been used in astrophotography since the 1970s using film.
In the days before ND Grads (that's not that long ago to be frank) were commonly available photographers worked a sunset or sunrise to produce a quality image in camera.
The whole point is this, you can ***** about in PhotoShop attempting to turn a sows ear in to a purse, and you may wind up with an acceptable image, but a really good in camera shot that's properly taken requires far more skill and results in minimal image processing. Work in professional photography for a while and you'll find that the least amount of processing is the most cost effective solution, ie: shoot well to start with.
I respectfully disagree here... good photographers have to know how to touch-up photos (sometimes quite a bit!) in an image editing software... especially if you're in fashion photography line, photos straight from the camera is never enough, there's a whole workflow to the editing that needs to be done :thumbsup:
Did I say you don't have to know about DPM? No I did not. I've been using PhotoShop for about 15 years now (since R3) and it's a an essential tool, but it is not the panacea you and most amateur photographers think it is.
Guess you've not shot fashion professionally? Touch up etc is the art editors job, not the photographers, though for small jobs like local fashion shots you need a different workflow as the images have to be finsihed. In the larger shoots the images are supplied raw to the client and then they do with them what they will, which usually involves very heavy PS'ing.
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