Before and after

Some people say – photographs should never be manipulated in any way, as they are supposed to depict the world the way it was seen by the photographer. However, the camera “sees” the photographed scene in a totally different way as the human eye does – depending on the light conditions, lens used, sensor type, A/D conversion of the input signal… And then, during the post-processing phase, the changes continue to stack – either this as a simple contrast change or a complete re-master of the scene. There are always some reality changes on the way and what we get into our minds is the photographer-influenced image of the world around.

At the end, the final picture can differ a lot from the one at the time of the shooting and / or the one seen by the photographer. You either like it or not, the end result counts, whatever it looks like. I believe a good photograph is the one, based on which the observer’s brain starts thinking of the content. It creates a story, raises emotions. This way, the picture stays in head even as the years pass by. The longer one remembers it, the better the photograph is, regardless of being awarded or not.

The three pictures below  are depicting the reality transformation. Please have a look at them and eventually, drop me a note with your opinion. You can also write me, which picture you prefer – the one at the beginning or the one at the end?

Either select the desired picture with the arrows below, or wait for it to appear and subsequently click on it – if you are interested in its’ short history, as well as its original and the final look.