Hyper-real

[fbp]

Does anyone else not enjoy the hyper-real quality that a lot of people seem to impose on their photographs with Photoshop or another photo editing program?

I feel like a raw shot tells a much better story than some super-coloured, intensely focused Photoshop shot. I guess it depends on whether you're shooting for a fashion magazine or to record a memory. For me the severe editing of WDW photographs would be akin to shaving a cat. Cleaner maybe, but weird and off-putting.

Maybe I'm alone here as a lot of people on the board seem to create and post these hyper-real shots.

 

[CP_alum08]

Not alone, I'm totally with you. While I do use Photoshop, my goal is to use it to try and recreate the colors as accurately as possible.

If you don't know, what you're referring to is called HDR (high dynamic range) photography. You take a series of shots with different exposures and then merge them together. The result can look amazing if you do it right, but because it has become a HUGE trend, tons of programs have popped up that make it far too easy and produce that same look, I refer to it as clown vomit!

As a photographer I think you need to respect peoples creativity, but it would be nice if a different trend could come along quickly...as long as it's not selective color again.

 

[ddbowdoin]

yeah... HDR, its pretty easy.

Tripod
Camera Trigger
Take a series of pictures, underexposed, overexposed, exposed well... using your trigger at the same aperature.
Then upload your work in photoshop, topaz, etc etc etc etc
and bam... there yah go. HDR

 

[britdaw]

I LOVE playing in Photoshop and editing my pictures. Sometimes you can make a picture a lot better by enhancing the colors and cropping it a certain way, but other times it can ruin the shot for sure. It helps if you have a great camera to begin with, though, 'cause then you shouldn't need to edit too much at all.

 

[ddbowdoin]

I LOVE playing in Photoshop and editing my pictures. Sometimes you can make a picture a lot better by enhancing the colors and cropping it a certain way, but other times it can ruin the shot for sure. It helps if you have a great camera to begin with, though, 'cause then you shouldn't need to edit too much at all.

I like to shoot raw... you have a lot more freedom in an uncompressed image.

 

[britdaw]

I like to shoot raw... you have a lot more freedom in an uncompressed image.

That's very true! My current camera SUCKS but my old camera took magnificent pictures with the RAW setting. Plus being able to edit them all as a batch with Adobe Camera RAW is pretty handy.