Clovis" 2026 Images

[clovishound]

Here is a conundrum I have over editing techniques and ethics. I already posted this image from Saturday's outing to Swan Lake. Here it is again for reference.

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I love the detail in the female mallard, and especially like the look of the trees reflected in the surface of the water. I don't like the distracting out of focus male in the background. I should have recognized how good that water surface looked and hung around the area for the ducks to return and get more images. Water under the bridge. I decided to try removing the male in Lightroom to see what it would have looked like. Here is the result.

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I don't mind using the remove tool to get rid of a small branch or blade of grass, but I really hate to substantially change an image this much. I do like the results, however. I suppose one thing that weighs on my mind is the fact that I cannot use an image manipulated in this manner to enter in most contests. That shouldn't be a major consideration, but it does factor in to my feelings toward the image.

What do ya'll think?

[CT_Shooter]

I'm strongly in favor of making the photograph as well as can be done inside of the camera, then manipulating the light and color to print or publish... but not much more than that, if we're talking about photography.

I'm having a very hard time with the concept of digital image manipulation. It's one thing to create the image of a character or an environment that doesn't exist using computers, like in Jurassic Park, Avatar, or Lord of the Rings, as examples; but I'm deeply conflicted about the newest film using Val Kilmer's image and voice in a theatrical production as interpreted by Artificial Intelligence. It's a serious issue for me as someone who appreciates art, especially filmmaking. My instinct is to reject it in all of it's forms (with minor exceptions).

Since I know it can't be otherwise, I'm glad I'm old and won't have to grapple with it for much longer. Val Kilmer's AI performance is just the first of who knows what's to come.

I'm pretty certain that life on earth in five years will not be recognizable. No Country For Old Men.

[clovishound]

When I did film photography, I had my own darkroom. I enjoyed fine tuning my prints with everything from cropping, exposure, contrast as well as dodging and burning. To me, that was part of the process, although getting it as close to "perfect" as possible in camera was my goal.

Ansel Adams believed that the work in the darkroom was as important as the work in the field. In fact, his famous Zone System revolved around customizing your development based on the exposure and lighting conditions when taking the image. I frequently expose shots knowing that the highlights are somewhat overexposed and the shadows are somewhat underexposed in order to keep the maximum balance of detail in both. I know that I will be adjusting specific areas separately, when editing, to bring out their detail. It is a balancing act as the sensor doesn't "see" the scene in the same way the eye does. I also routinely use software to "de-noise" images taken at high ISOs, which makes them "noisy", similar to grainy in film. It's a choice of either cleaning up noisy shots, or having grainy images, or not taking the photo at all. BTW, color noise looks really weird, and is totally unacceptable to me. As someone who concentrates on wildlife photography, I rarely have the luxury of shooting at low ISOs. I frequently need fast shutter speeds, and often shoot in lower light conditions.

I'm totally comfortable with that approach. What gives me pause is using software that removes items and fills in the void created using either a copy of surrounding areas, or AI generated fill. While I try and avoid relying on this to salvage, or improve my images, there are times when it is tempting. It's very easy to see this as just another tool like the dodging and burning tools I used in my B&W darkroom. It also can be a slippery slope that can take one's photography down a path that removes it from actually capturing images of nature, and turns it into creating an image from software housed in a data center somewhere.