It's interesting how we tend to qualify our work with how much photoshopping has been done to it, it's almost like a cultural subconscious understanding that it's not as good as a "real" photograph, it's just been photoshopped.

I know that's not how you think of the matter, but it seems to be the general attitude taken towards this sort of post production work.

I find it equally interesting that if you had done the post-work in a dark room, with a bunch of dodging and burning and various red filters on the enlarger, virtually no one, photographer or layman, would think to add a caveat of post production, especially with the same insinuation.....

Silver halide or bits, chemical developer or ACR, analog and digital photography does the same shit. God damn hypocritical social normative influences!

</rant>

This is a pretty dynamic image, more than your usual work. I like it.

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You're right!!
I used to be apologetic about darkroom mods, too - I'm a big fan of the old "get it right in the camera" ideology. But I've loosened up a lot because I've realized that photoshop makes it a lot more possible to do fun composite images and stuff like that.

Here's a thought - I think that a lot of the time we value artwork directly in proportion to how hard it is. If someone is able to click OK and make something, we just don't respect it as much as if we know they spent years putting it together by hand in the dark with tweezers or whatever. In fact, if that's what's going on, I agree with it! Doing some things the hard way is a statement of commitment.

love this marcus! its a new fave for me!

this is lovely ^_^

I like how the shadow almost implies that the light is coming from the sword. Kind of.

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nice. I've always loved medeival stuff ^-^

I agree with that concept... but the digital/analog argument is still silly, I think. First, no matter what the recording or editing medium is, the same knowledge and skill is required for the artistic side of the creation. Second, there's a theory that digital work is easier than analog work, and that's a false one. I've spent 12 years learning Photoshop, and the multiple hours I spend on one image require the full breadth of my cumulative knowledge. Sure there are programs that automate "improvements," but there are also fully automated, programmable film processing and printing machines that tweak the same properties (just check the local drug store...). Photoshop=easy? Fuck that, my adjustment layers and masks bring all the boys to the yard, and that's no small task.

I think that both processes have share many more similarities than differences, and a lot of people just don't want to let that go. Me? I prefer to be much more practical about it; IQ is indistinguishable between digital and analog (given proper equipment and users) and frankly, while I still feel nostalgic from time to time, I don't particularly miss spending hours with caustic chemicals in black rooms, literally dumping vast amounts of my money down drains, and the changes to my workflow and shooting flexibility have been some of the holy grails of photography for the last century.

And you're right, you should always get it right in the camera, but that has little to do with recording media.

I must agree though, I do get pretty cheesed when I see work (especially on here) that's obviously someone taking a crappy photo, running some downloaded script in PS Elements that drastically alters and manipulates the image, and posts it all proud, like sickly color shifts and blown out contrast (or worse yet - aged polaroid imitation!) magically transform a snapshot into art.

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Amazing work, and that just happened to catch my eye because its my name.

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Useful picture, great work too!

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This seems to have a heap of movement in it somehow, from her hand down the sword - it really draws the eye.