Eleni Paliginis introduced us to the post-processing capabilities of Lightroom Classic. It is undoubtedly a very powerful programme for working on photographs – some of its tools appear almost magical in the way they understand what’s in the original photograph and the intentions of the operator. After the session Eleni sent two images post processed with the Involuntary Camera Movement tool. These are reproduced below.
While it was interesting and helpful to see what advanced post processing can do, and it is a huge benefit in colour work, I remain skeptical about its over use. I have two starting points.
First, I see photography as, ‘the precise and lucid description of significant fact’, in John Szarkowski’s words. Over enthusiastic post-processing, especially the inclusion or removal of significant elements, is inconsistent with this and shifts the image into the realm of graphic design that is about imaginary rather than real worlds.
Second, the photographer should aim to capture the desired image at the point of making the picture. I’m not saying it’s necessary to be as rigorous as Ansel Adams in his approach to pre-visualisation, but getting it right the first time, in the camera, is preferable to a lot of rescue work later I believe these points argue for a minimalist approach to post-processing.
That said, there are a few caveats: in analogue photography, film processing and printing have always manipulated the image to achieve the photographer’s interpretation of reality, so it doesn’t do to be too purist about it; such manipulations have always been harder to achieve with colour photography than black and white and digital post-processing in invaluable there; and it’s sometimes necessary to take radical steps to recover an invaluable and unrepeatable shot.
I’m not a Luddite and digitally post-process both mono and colour work using Lightroom 5.3. In doing so I try to limit myself to the effects of those tools that are digital versions of what a skilled operator might achieve with analogue photography. In making the images for the Photo Forum exhibition (see post 16th January). I used the following tools: cropping, exposure adjustment, contrast, clarity, shadow/highlight adjustment, colour level adjustment, brushstroke and graduated filter.