A very interesting discussion topic where it is impossible to declare absolutely what is and is not acceptable. Many competition rules have a clause along the lines of "images should not be overly manipulated". What on earth does that mean these days ?

Extensive dodging and burning is nothing new to photography, nor is adding something which was not there in the original shot.

I posted a photo today that would have been a very poor image if I had not done extensive pp work on it. Is that fake ? No. My aim as a photographer is to produce an image which pleases me, and hopefully the viewer. I carry a camera, not a photocopier strapped round my neck. If the dynamic range of my camera is insufficient to create an image SOOC, then it needs to be worked on in pp. This is as much photography as pressing your finger on the shutter.

The issue of things like sky replacement is at the extreme end of this argument. Does it make a difference if the replacement was taken yourself ? What if it was taken in the same location ?

If photography is art, then what matters is the end result. If an image is enhanced by sky replacement then do it. It is no more fake than trying to compare two different types of film. You may shoot with Kodak Porta, and I with Fuji Velvia. Two different outcomes.....which one is "fake" ?

Not arf Sir

K-1 II + DFA 21mm 2.4


IMGP0539 by Peter Schluter, on Flickr


IMGP0533 by Peter Schluter, on Flickr

The way the light comes through the stained glass and illuminates the interior is quite majestic

Great stuff....keep experimenting !

No 2 gets my vote

A dog guard for the back

It is very striking. I learned today that this very car came 5th in the 1972 Les Mans 24 hours !

What a lovely tranquil spot

Indeed Ansel Adams spent a lot more time in his darkroom than he did taking pictures. Using Photoshop does not by itself render an image fake. I need to use it (or another converter) if I process raw images. I also see the use of selective dodging/burning as a means to create the image that looks more like what I remember seeing with my own eyes. Our brains compensate very quickly when we look at a high contrast scene, in a way that no recording media (film or sensor can).

IMGP0296 by Peter Schluter, on Flickr


IMGP0437 by Peter Schluter, on Flickr