Quote:
Originally Posted by dcstep
I think there are two polarized views that are both wrong. One that based on the presumption that the in-camera Raw or JPEG files is "accurate" and the other is that if a slider is good a 5, it's ten-times better at 50.
The first view is wrong because the Raw file is a data collection, not a finished product. Those of us that Expose To The Right, end up with a much larger file with more data points than we'd have if we exposed as if we were shooting Kodachrome 25. That Raw data file is a starting point that requires processing to get close to what the eye saw at the moment the image was captured. OTOH, an in-camera JPEG is merely a set of compromise alterations to the Raw file, based on the tastes of a committee of Japanese engineers.
OTOH, the sliders-right crew are mostly trying to make up for their failure to catch a special image and turn the ordinary into something extraordinary, that the eye never saw. There are some truly gifted artists that populate this end of the continuum, but there's so much junk that it's hard to find true art. The true artists at this end of the spectrum amaze me and I'll never be able to compete with them, so I stay at the other end of the spectrum.
If you hang in the galleries of photographers that sell lots of prints for $500 and more, you'll see Saturation and Contrast a bit to the right of neutral. I've started doing this with my own work, but tend to keep sliders in the single-digits. Still, I want so sell some things and find that a little "pop" moves the hand toward the wallet a little faster, right or wrong.
I was once looking at a 72" print of Colorado aspens with the printer that had printed the work and noticed smeared details in the middle where something had been Cloned out poorly and the Saturation and Contrast overall was over the top, almost rocking you back in your shoes. The printer acknowledged all the "flaws" that I saw and noted that the print was the top seller in the gallery, which included works by John Fielder and other top photographers. What people want in their homes and what we photographers view as perfection often do not align.
Dave
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Agreed on all points. I've seen photos in hotel lobbies that make me cringe. Some with horrible CA, some with missed focus, and some with major noise. Even my former office had horrible pics on the wall and they paid a bundle for them.