To Edit or Not To Edit Your Photos
A quick scroll through Instagram, Flickr, or any other photo-sharing platform, and one will be presented with gorgeous photos oozing with edits. Saturation, clarity, contrast, color shifts, and the list goes on to the manipulation of pictures taken. Is it ethical? Does it take away from the photograph? Does it truly enhance it? I hope to tackle or shed some light on these questions.
The other day, I went to a book signing here at my local, small town bookstore. My wife and I are friends with the owner, and the signing event was for a photographer who released a new book. It is a fantastic body of work. And he, along with his business partner for the project, were humble, friendly, and extremely nice. Here is a link to their project.
The photographer (Ken Murphy) and I began to discuss the topic of photography, naturally. He mentioned he recently turned to digital but still has an affinity for film including large format. He even brought some of his work with him, and he was kind enough to show me. It was amazingly good.
While discussing the turn to digital, he mentioned the utter nonsense that “purists” have in not cropping their photos or editing them. I was instantly reminded of Cartier-Bresson’s insistence on never cropping his photos and being sure to include the black edge from the negatives in his prints to prove such a feat.
The conversation was delightful, insightful, and engaging. However, I left wondering about the still on-going debate about editing one’s photos (including cropping). Is it acceptable as an artist? What about a person working in photojournalism?
Personally, I don’t see cropping as a problem so long as it is true to one’s own vision. In fact, I feel the same about post-processing and heavy development. But why do I feel convicted this way? I guess it is because what matters in a photograph is the photographer’s intent and the impact the photograph has on the viewer. Period. Nothing more; nothing less. In other words, a photograph is much more than the sum of its parts (the things that brought it into being). The real effects and importance of photography comes not from the process but from the results of the process. I cannot count how many times my wife’s eyes have glazed over when I rant and ask for her input about tonal values, saturation, contrast, etc. To be frank, the viewer does not care and for good reason: the entire point of those processes and balances of development are to create and build an image that carries intent and impact.
For us photographers, of course the process matters! I am not denying that. However, to determine whether or not a photograph is wonderful, great, or important isn’t dependent upon the technique and technical aspects of it. Quite the contrary: it is the effect the image has as a complete whole. And the viewer, including ourselves, gets the privilege of being judge in this regard.
To conclude, a photograph’s worth is the artist’s intent and vision, and that is best represented and viewable at the end when the complete image is presented. So, to crop or not to crop? To edit or not to edit? Quite frankly, no one cares so long as the artist’s intent and vision are represented and intact.
If you have read this far, thanks! I am very appreciative. If you would like to check out my own work, just visit my instagram @jrburrow.photography.
