Editing photographs
Editing photographs comes with baggage. Though it's been happening from the start, mainly in darkrooms, digital tools like Photoshop have brought up questions of accuracy, authenticity, and expression in the modern photography scene.
I fall squarely on one side. Do whatever you want! That is to say, if you are creating art then do so. The way in which the sensor detected light waves and the processor drew out an image should not lock you into the final work. Yes, photography as a documentary record should strive for truth in representation, but outside of that just go for it. (I know that sentence could use some unpacking, but that’s not my goal here.)
In my Substratum project I am taking editing further than I have done before. Beyond my typical exposure adjustments and color grading, I have split the image between its form and its color, simplifying them to a more pure state and recombining them in a way that gives an illusion of depth. Beyond simply liking it, I think it helps me understand how I bridge the real and digital worlds. I don’t create native digital art but love Photoshop and Lightroom. I have always tried manipulating my pictures in myriad ways and over time have found myself “toning it down” if you will.
It seems to be a common trope in life that as we age we “pull it back” a bit and stabilize ourselves in all that we do. We aren’t as energetic and playful as children. We moderate our engagement in activities of all types (read between the lines). Art usually follows a similar pattern. As we refine our technique, we hone our craft through the shaving of excess. However, even moderation should be done in moderation.
That is what my current project is about in part: pushing past the self-imposed limits I have developed in editing my pictures. I used more contrast than usual. I used more vibrant colors than usual. I ramped up the Gaussian blur more than usual. I know the charge that this could be simply done to satisfy the popular commercial palette for imagery, but it's not why I did it. I wanted to venture into the unknown, the uncomfortable, and see where it could take me.