There is always such an argument exist: Is post-processing a cheating way to make your photo looks stunning?
I am sure that at some stage you have heard people say:
“if my skill is good enough, I can take perfect picture at the first place as soon as I press the shutter button. Post-processing is only for people that didn’t have good skill and needed some correction to be done later to save the photo.”
Well, yes, and no. There are things that can be and cannot be fixed at post-processing. The fact that a camera does not work the same way as human eye (let’s not get into a biology lecture here 😛 ), it does not capture the exact same colour and lighting as what our eyes see at the same time as the photo taken, i.e. a camera has much less dynamic range than a human eye.
However, a photo is not for a camera to see and enjoy – it is for human; therefore post-processing can really help to bring the “pop” factor back into the picture and please the harsh critic – human eyes.
But of course, “less is more”; if you over process a photo, it becomes so un-natural and it probably turns into gabbage (unless you are purposely processing it to a certain extreme style – there is always an exception!)
Post-processing is also useful for fixing a photo – doesn’t matter if it was a skill related error, dirty or missing equipment etc; I do not see post-processing as cheating – at the end of the day, we are not talking about “snapshotting”, we are talking about “Photography” in general, which itself is a form of ART. Post-processing is also fun and enjoyable, often you can learn how to improve your photoshooting skills by doing post-processing too!
So, if you haven’t got much experience in post-processing yet, start today! Shoot some RAW photos and play around with some photo editing tools! I am sure you will enjoy it!
(And, no, we are not talking about simply applying filters in instagram here 😛 )