Editing in the Photo Competitions

[Leo_Ant]

Well, in my humble opinion a good photo must be one when you get it out of the camera, so to speak. I have a crap camera, I have no photoshop and, even if I don't win competitions, I feel fine with what I do. Because it's me doing it, not photoshop. Like these rules, like these competitions simply for the fun of it. So, for me, no editing allowed...If someone's ego need comfort from these competitions...get a life!

[Niko_Fx]

Editing can make a BAD photo WIN... and that defeats the friggin purpose of this PHOTO competition

If you don't feel confident enough to post a photo without editing the hell out of it then your photo sucks the big one, sorry

[Pinin]

But you aren't adding anything to it. Its just like resizing. 'No cropping' would be a stupid rule.

It's not like re-sizing at all. You're altering the composition of the original picture, something that should be done behind the camera, not behind the computer.

Because it's me doing it, not photoshop.

Photoshop does not edit photos on it's own. You edit the photo with the help of photoshop.

[IWantAnAudiRS6]

If you don't feel confident enough to post a photo without editing the hell out of it then your photo sucks the big one, sorry

Hit the nail on the head there!

[Cotterik]

this is all amateurish opinion. what good is this for the progression of the competition

[IWantAnAudiRS6]

So that you can become a better photographer, rather than manipulator, maybe?

That's a bit of a high-and-mighty attitude to take. For a start, it is an amateur competition in the first place, if you think anything different then that's a very petty and bourgeoisie view to take. Grow up and use your camera properly. You have done in the past, so why are you throwing tantrums about it now?

EDIT: Oh, and... check the poll results. No editing for now, methinks!

[The_Canuck]

We'll know the results on sunday...

[Cotterik]

So that you can become a better photographer, rather than manipulator, maybe?

That's a bit of a high-and-mighty attitude to take. For a start, it is an amateur competition in the first place, if you think anything different then that's a very petty and bourgeoisie view to take. Grow up and use your camera properly. You have done in the past, so why are you throwing tantrums about it now?

EDIT: Oh, and... check the poll results. No editing for now, methinks!

first of all, quit making this a personal argument and telling me to 'grow up' and stop 'throwing tantrums' this is a debate. If you can't hack that without getting personal then go find somewhere else to waste your time.

This started off as an amateur competition but there are so many good photographers on the site now that the competition needs to evolve. We can't let camera phones and beginner photographers weigh down everyone else. As wouter said, every photograph that enthusiasts take are put through photoshop before they are used. I already know that Black_300ZX, SPHferrari, My_Porsche, Drakkie (all well known photographers on the forum) use photoshop as an every day treatment for their photographs. But all of these members, including myself, have and will use un-treated photos. But the fact is that the main bulk of our work is done using photoshop. Alot of my photos that I am proud of, having done for college, can't be entered even though they used the most minimal editing techniques.

The side-heavy view on the poll is quite predictably due to non-enthusiast members who have a strong opinion about not letting everyone else use photoshop, even when most frequent entrants only use it for the slightest of touches.

I think that alot of members arent up for the professional-touch that photoshop can apply to photographs, because they don't know enough about photography. Fair enough. And ofcourse this isnt a photography-devoted forum so there always will be members new to photography who want to enter. But that still does not cancel out option 2 of the poll which states that slight touches can be made in photoshop. I keep saying this over and over again. Minimal editing cannot make a bad photo good.

[Pinin]

I agree 100%, Cotterik. I put every photo I take through photoshop. Post-processing is as much a part of photography as the process of taking the picture itself, and always has been. As someone rightly mentioned earlier on, Ansel Adams wrote very detailed books on photography and post processing. Is he cheating or what?

[2ndclasscitizen]

I rarely use Photoshop to edit photos and those that I do I don't enter here, as those one's are the one's that I go to town with to make something cool, also B&W shots that need more fiddling, again that I don't enter here. My shots go through RawShooter Essentials and will at most need very minor exposure and WB adjustments, anything anyone could do.

[The_Canuck]

I rarely use Photoshop to edit photos and those that I do I don't enter here, as those one's are the one's that I go to town with to make something cool, also B&W shots that need more fiddling, again that I don't enter here. My shots go through RawShooter Essentials and will at most need very minor exposure and WB adjustments, anything anyone could do.

Your shots are great too.

[werty]

how about this:

start allowing minor editing...but when a person does edit he/she must include the original pic with the edited version...

if a majority agree too much has been done, than it has to either be out of the comp or re-edited with less done to the photo

in other words, allow it but make sure it gets approved by a photo comp panel which UCP would really benefit from

[2ndclasscitizen]

Your shots are great too.

Cheers dude

[clutch-monkey]

not everyone has the ability or the inclination to edit their photographs, so i say no. just suck it up and post you're photo, pussies.

[Rockefella]

As someone rightly mentioned earlier on, Ansel Adams wrote very detailed books on photography and post processing. Is he cheating or what?

Ansel Adams is not taking part in a UCP photo comp.