Should You Edit Your Photos?
Introduction To Photo Editing
Editing your photos gives you the freedom and burden to express your point of view and aesthetic to the world.
Photographers have been editing their photos since the 19th century, using different techniques than we have today.
Even when film photographers used a certain type of film, the film itself acted like a preset. After capturing the photo, they could change its appearance in the darkroom by exposing some areas to more light and altering the overall exposure.
Nowadays, all these techniques are easier and accessible to almost all photographers thanks to software.
What a wonderful time to be a photographer!
Advantages Of Editing Your Photos
Improve Composition
You can crop in your photos, change the aspect ratio or even expand them to change your overall composition and make your photos more balanced.
Remove Imperfections
We are not perfect, therefore, our photos are not perfect. In post-editing, you have the luxury of removing elements from your photos, such as someone walking next to your subject, pimples or random objects in the background.
This way, you can ensure that the viewer's focus is concentrated on the subject you choose.
Mood, Aesthetic And Feeling
We can imagine photos that don't exist. Cameras are soulless devices that we use as tools. The tweaks and changes made when editing your photos can give them a unique aesthetic and mood.
💡Tip
It is common to hear the phrase, ''My camera cannot capture what I saw with my eyes'' This happens for two reasons.
The first reason is that you don't understand how your camera works and concepts like the Exposure Triangle and White Balance.
The second reason is that you don't edit your photos after you capture them.
Disadvantages Of Editing Your Photos
Time-Consuming
Editing photos can be extremely time-consuming. The time photographers spend editing a single photo can range from minutes to hours. Now, imagine you have 100 photos to edit.
💡Tip
An easy way to edit your photos faster and maintain consistency in appearance is by using Lightroom Presets. This method allows you to establish a desired mood or even replicate the aesthetic of photos captured with film cameras.
Rather than manually adjusting numerous sliders, simply apply the preset, and Lightroom will handle all the ''boring'' work for you.
Ethical Concerns And Misrepresentation Of Reality
At this point, we have the technology to edit everything and everyone. We can set unrealistic expectations, alter the size and shape of our bodies, and deceive the viewer.
This technique is commonly used by influencers and celebrities to present themselves with the ideal body and skin. Even ''natural'' photos are heavily edited, leading viewers to believe that achieving similar results is possible.
Over-Reliance On Editing
Knowing that you can edit everything after you take the photo might lead you to ignore the in-camera skills you must develop like proper composition, lighting and exposure. These can not 100% replaced by editing software, yet.
Master your camera and master your editing software to get the best of both worlds, otherwise you might end up and editor and not a photographer.
In Conclusion
The list of advantages and disadvantages can go on forever. The fact is that editing your photos can enhance your photography. Whether you choose to edit or not is entirely up to you.
A Word From The Author
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