Photoshop is so prevalent in the industry that the line between photography and digital art often blur. With the theme of this weeks' Critique, we hope to focus only on photography skills.
Between now and January 7th, 2019 we invite you to submit up to two unedited images. In this case "unedited" refers to any picture that has not had any compositing, cloning, dodging, burning, warping, etc... Since some photographers prefer to shoot in raw, we are allowing images that have had color correction and tone curve adjustment. Obviously it will be impossible for us to tell for sure if you've stuck to these guidelines so we're trusting the community to be honest. We will be selecting to winners of a free Fstoppers tutorial. One will be based on the highest community rated image and the other will be chosen at random.
Once you've uploaded your pictures, we invite you to scroll through the rest of the submissions and give honest ratings of your own. The easiest way to do this is by using your keypad and number keys. For the sake of improvement, please leave encouraging, instructive comments if you notice how an image could be improved.
This contest is insulting to every photographer past and present. No edit on a raw file? How can this be done? It can't. As far as cropping that is an edit also and should have been addressed before snapping the image. Nope not even considering doing this contest because there is no such thing as a good SOOC picture. This contest takes the art out of photography.
The contest rules do allow for certain changes to raw files and specify edits that are not permitted. Personally I do think it's possible to get good SOOC pictures and this is what I aim to do for events and sports where there is no time for edits. When going for SOOC pictures I shoot JPG and spend time selecting and adjusting the picture profile, WB and WB shift, and careful setup of any flash to get what I need with no edits. I've entered two pics, one landscape raw with edits within the rules and one event jpg SOOC and curious to see the response from the community.
My goodness. This has to be the whiniest community I’ve ever seen. People raw processed their images, wahhh! My SOOC images aren’t getting the attention they deserve, wahhh!
Personally, I don’t care how my images are rated and I like how this particular contest compares photos without photoshop or spot editing, since the average contest seems to diminish the ratings of images that aren’t processed to the Nth degree via photoshop. My only gripe is seeing a “needs work” rating without a comment telling the photographer how you think it could be improved. That being said, all this whining is just ridiculous. Take pictures, have fun and stop demanding validation.
I would love to hear how they would edit the photos in the video! :)
Changing a photo from color to sepia considered editing?
Martin........apparently anything taken after 1900 is cheating.............
Bahahaha! Pin hole cameras only!!!!
Yeah...........then they would be bi...........ah, complaining that the holes were the wrong size!
Wet Collodion only!
No dry plates allowed!!!
Is changing a photo from color to sepia considered editing?
Is multiple exposures on film would be considered edited?
There's been a whole heap of discussion about editing, and it's taken me this long to relate the expression "being a professional* is about what you don't show". We have all shot many images that require no editing whatsoever.
*I use the word "professional" in its broad, commonly used, euphamismistic sense; more aligned with notions of skill.
crap - I didn't read carefully enough!
can I actually change a submitted photo?
Delete the offending image, and upload the new one
Found it, thank you 😊
What's with people uploading multiple photos? Shouldn't there be a rule about uploading only one per account?
You can upload two.
I agree. That's the whole point of posting unedited / slightly edited photos - of course they'll need work. But the main things - subject, lighting and composition will be there. It's still half (or more) of the whole photograph.
Contest would have been so much cooler with absolutely no edits and photos taken in jpeg. See how many out there can really use their cameras!
I'm seeing an awful lot which cannot be shown until after they're edited.
When you shoot using jpeg.... you are shooting edited images as the camera/manufacturer provides the editing.
Your position is an equivocation, which fundamentally missed the point.
You may as well be saying that when I choose Portra over Velvia, that is an edit.
Sorry, but I think you missed my point........
"You may as well be saying that when I choose Portra over Velvia, that is an edit."
Isn't it? The argument can be made that it is.....To make my point a little cleaner....."we all are carping about nothing"
I didn't miss your point, even slightly: anyone skilled in interpretation would observe the ovserarching stated context of the competition, specifically post-processing (i.e. Photoshop).
"You may as well be saying that when I choose Portra over Velvia, that is an edit."
That's exactly what he's saying
1. That's highly semantic.
2. It's still not post processing.
1. Ok, I was just quoting you directly, in context
2. I'm not trying to argue with you. A lot of people have explained this in the comments, I'm sure it will be explained in the video. It's a hard to swallow pill, personally though understanding what is happening to my files in body was a huge part of appreciating the importance of post. Your camera is literally editing the photo in the same respect as moving a wide range of sliders in LR. The only difference between sooc photos and what some would consider "edited", is control. Editing RAWs you decide what changes, shooting jpeg your camera profile applies pre-determined adjustments.
Let me rephrase.
It's semantic rubbish.
Literally the first word in the post is "Photoshop".
I'm sorry that people struggle to understand context.
And just an FYI, if we are going to apply such a fallacy of composition, then the glass you use is also an 'edit'.
.... That was my understanding of the critique too, no photoshop or local adjustments, I think everyone is clear on that.
I'm not sure what's causing the confusion / vitriol, I am responding in *this thread* - starting with Jackson's comment. It starts with you and him agreeing it would be nice to see a contest with sooc jpegs, right?
Then you said you didn't see picture profiles like portra etc as editing, right?
It's these things I'm trying to discuss with you, not directly the contest rules. You may not know or care what your camera is doing when it creates a jpeg file, but a number of people do and have tried to explain it to you in a perfectly nice way. Generally when people understand this it changes their perspective of what consists of "post processing". If you dont want to hear it no worries, really not a problem for me.
Post processing is, by definition, processing after you pull the file off the camera, or after you scan. Apparently you are incapable of differentiating between 'processing' and "post-processing"
And no, I'm not asserting there should be a competition where all images should be shot on jpg; however, I think any photographer who is incapable of producing an image that does not require post really needs to go back and study the basics again.
And just so we are absolutely clear, I haven't shot jpg in over 4 years.
Go away.
PS. it would behoove you not to misrepresent people's positions.
PPS. Portra and Velvia are film types. It literally did not occur to you that I was referring to film.
Ugh.
Ok, your images come off the sensor as a jpeg with a picture profile.
Grow up mate, no need to respond how you have, as I said, what you don't know doesn't bother me.
Again, you didn't even realise that I was referring to film.
You have heard of film, right?
Angelo, this gentlemen has a history with this kind of behavior. It's just best to ignore him. I, for one, will be refusing to respond.
Yeah, stupid and obtuse people annoy me. I was referring to film and he keeps going on about profiles. And you wonder why I get frustrated.
William you take offence to people discussing things with you, it’s really bloody childish how defensive you get. You’re pretentious and condescending. Nobody was being stupid or obtuse, you just throw vitriol at the first opportunity because you clearly think very highly of yourself. Nobody was attacking you personally.
And actually I didn’t know they were types of film, thanks for letting me know. That said, many would argue that using different types of film is entirely comparable to making global adjustments in lightroom or using picture profiles. I’m still sure you don’t understand what happens to your files in camera and as I said, I don’t really care, it’s your prerogative if you feel it’s not important.
Terry I completely agree, shouldn’t have fed the troll.
"I didn't know they were different types of film."
That is pure awesome. The guy who doesn't know Portra and Velvia are films is telling me I don't know how a camera processes a file.
*slow clap*
Do you see how easy it is to admit you don't know something William, it's really not that hard and it doesn't hurt. My pride doesn't ache because I don't know the names of film from a time gone by, genuinely I'm glad you told me because why would I not want to know that, i'm not trying to "win" at this like you are.
My pride probably would ache if I didn't understand the camera I used to submit my images here, then made a dozen condescending comments to other people off the back of that ignorance. Luckily that's not my problem.
Yeah, you're a mental giant, you couldn't make the mental leap from a 'film profile' to 'film'; what on Earth did you think film profiles are based upon?
And FYI, I just might know very well how a digital camera handles files. But since you are intent on schooling me, feel free to discuss the transforms (that would be matricies) any time.
What were you saying about defensive?
Incidentally, I'm not entirely convinced those images are yours. Maybe a reverse image search is in order.
PS. The processing in camera is still not "post-processing".
"Incidentally, I'm not entirely convinced those images are yours. Maybe a reverse image search is in order."
You're a child.
So that would be a no to schooling me with regard to the transforms...
Yeah, you're quite the expert. Such an expert that you didn't know that film profiles are created from the characteristics of the respective antecedent film.
I suppose thinking you would demonstrate your knowledge of university level math was a stretch.
Film applies a tone currve = I’m a real photographer
In camera JPEG applies a tone curve = I’m a real photographer.
I apply a tone curve to a raw which has no tone curve applied = I’m a horrible photographer that is completely dependent on photoshop and I should work on being better with my camera...
Pure silliness...
None of which was what I said or implied.
But my initial point stands, if you are utterly incapable of producing an image that is publication ready without post-processing you really need to go back and re-study the basics again.
Indeed, we can add to that statement; if such is the case, you're a digital artist, not a photographer.
Still nothing?
I guess you really don't know how a camera processes a file after all.
...
I know you are not particularly intelligent, so let me spell it out for you.
When I deleted my account it deleted all of my photos. I had enteted the competition.
But, sure, let's go there.
Right, now I've looked at your profile, I remember you.
That's it? Really? I wouldn't go bringing up the quality of others work...
...
Of course not. But sure, if you are happy taking snapshots in bright sunlight on a long lens, more power to you.
What was it? The implication that I cannot shoot because you can't see my images. It's almost comical.
I cannot help but think that if a photographer is incapable of producing an image that doesn't require post, then they should probably go back and restudy the basics.
...
Here's the problem, not only did you entirely miss the point - but sure, go ahead, enter an image into a competition, when that image should not be displayed - but you also responded to a now deleted account.
There are just enough people of poor intellect here to make this a really unpleasant place. Why would I say that? Because idiots tend to totally misunderstand what has been said, which has the effect of creating a bunch of strawman arguments.
Like numbnuts above. He had no clue that I was talking about film - Indeed; he didn't even know Portra and Velvia were film types; or that film profiles are intended to carry the characteristics of the respective antecedent films - and he then decided assert (in the absence of any confirmatory evidence) that I know nothing about how a camera works.
This all being caused because he insisted that in camera processing is post-processing.
But sure, he provokes an argument because he doesn't understand, keeps insusting it is of no moment while pressibg the argument, and insists I'm a troll.
And then you come along and keep right along....
It's a shame though, the vast majority of people here are fantastic people. It's just a minority that make it not worth the cost.