Craft or cheat?

40 Replies

When you manipulate a photograph you have taken to produce something new – is it still a craft, or is it cheating? I’d be interested to hear your comments.

Our first dwarf Daffodil of 2017

Our first dwarf Daffodil of 2017

via Daily Prompt: Craft

40 thoughts on “Craft or cheat?”

  1. uyjewelry

    Can’t it be both? I would actually say both. Craft for having taken the photo the first time and also the skill in manipulating it, continuing the mystery of sorts where the photo is concerned. Cheat, because of the manipulation, the editing, etc. Either way it is still your work of art.

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  5. Julie

    If its to be creative or artistic, digital manipulation is just the same as a paintbrush on canvas. There are some really interesting techniques about. But I think it is cheating when its to sell something commercially and thats not art anyway.

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    1. Murtagh's Meadow Post author

      It is amazing what you can do with some of the techniques! I agree though that sometimes it can be used the wrong way. So for example using photoshop to manipulate a model to look “perfect” is not good as it gives a generation an impression that so called perfection is normal.

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  6. tarabeh

    I think when we are able to create something new out any thing, that is craft. When I say create, I mean to transform a thing into a whole, new, different thing. If you grab a photo from the internet and adjust it’s contrast and brightness, it does not become a new photo so that for me is not craft. But if you take a photo yourself and do the same edit, it is craft because it’s your work from beginning till end.

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  7. lyart

    I have spent some time considering this during many years. I’ll just quote myself here, since you asked: “Even old fashioned, point and shoot photography is an act of massive tampering with what is really there to be seen. The choice of camera and lense influence the outcome as much as the type of film used, shutter speed and aperture setting tamper any given photographic situation. And this is only the hardware. Just think about framing – what to include or exclude on the photograph. And then the chemicals set in – at least they used to, as long as films had to be developed, same as paper prints. Endless opportunities to make any image look different.” The entire post is here: https://nlyart.wordpress.com/2016/11/28/imagine/

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    1. Murtagh's Meadow Post author

      I’m going to read that full post. You are so right. I remember as a kid helping my dad in the dark room with black & white prints, and yes given it longer time in the chemicals, etc

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  8. Rainbow Junkie

    Cheating or craft? I suppose you could say that if you ‘cheat’ it actually makes it more of a craft. When I take photographs I like to think that they do represent what was seen at the time. I don’t think adjusting the contrast, sharpness etc. is cheating and if I am taking something on my white table and I notice there is a crumb or something in the photograph I don’t think it is cheating if I erase it since I could have simply removed it and retaken the photograph – more laziness than cheating! However I do know people, who see photography as art, who will swop a boring sky for a more dramatic one. To me that is ‘cheating’ and I would find it hard to do but I can see that it does make the final photograph an art work so I suppose more ‘crafted’!

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    1. Murtagh's Meadow Post author

      I agree. Like you I am happy to mess with sharpness, contrast, highlights etc., but I would feel guilty about taking one thing out and replacing with something else.

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  9. Jane

    Fascinating discourse here. How many cakes / dishes are played with for that perfect cookery book for some of us to feel thwarted that our finished product is way below par, But here, I appreciate your interpretation of nature and how you might enhance certain qualities to open up an access to nature. I certainly appreciate the plants, produce, landscapes and the like because your pictures give me the chance for personal musing.

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    1. Murtagh's Meadow Post author

      Interesting and thoughtful perspective Jane, and again idea of tweaking as opposed to outright manipulation.

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  10. bythebriny

    Ah, a question for the ages. For myself, I would never digitally swap out or add elements that weren’t in the original scene, but I have been known to move a “distracting” element, such as a stick or piece of seaweed, from a scene before taking a picture. 🙂

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  12. Robbie

    Good question. I have struggled with this the past year. I tend to feel you can manipulate a little but how much is too much? I feel I am cheating if I do too much. BUT, I like some of the layering and techniques to create moods…. .shoot, I am a fan of Salvador Dali. People HATED his art! Maybe it is like realism and surrealism in art, I don’ t know. Maybe it is what you are trying to say with a photo or digital art…if you are showing nature- maybe less manipulation, but if you are expressing your interpretation of nature or what your photo is about it should reflect the person…aww..I am on the fence with this question:-)

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      1. Murtagh's Meadow Post author

        I remember doing him as part of my art history in school. I particularity remember that clock image – just looked it up and it’s called “The Persistence of Memory” – quite appropriate to taking photos I suppose.

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  13. heretherebespiders

    I do some manipulation, because I’m convinced the camera doesn’t see what I see. I always do say if I’ve done a lot of work – some roses look fantastic if you make the background black. Depends on the quality of the original picture, as well. I suppose usIng an app like Hipstamatic could be considered tweaking, too? I’ve got dozens of ways I could take one photo, if I could be bothered. I like the one I like – it not only gives me my mental b&w image but expands it, sometimes.

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    1. Murtagh's Meadow Post author

      I like that idea that – the camera doesn’t see what you see! If there is a photo I really want to get right I will often take multiple shots now – but would never have dreamed of doing so in the days of slides and print.photos”

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      1. heretherebespiders

        I was never in possession of a film camera back then. Himself was – and has hundreds of pictures of the town and his friends. He is also a DJ so has been using them as his ‘poster’ for his internet radio show. He manipulates them to put in his website info, but very cleverly and hidden.

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