Why I use Photoshop

I took this picture at a park next to my home. I've named it Backflip.

Unlike the example of the photo above, I like to edit pictures to make up for the imperfections of the camera. I use editing to sharpen, clean up, and lighten the photo; things I could typically get, if I had a slightly better camera.* Generally, I don't like to use editing for unreal effects as the picture above.

Man is visual. We usually store memories in pictures and feelings. Pictures create feelings. There are things that the human mind can capture, that cameras just can't. Have you ever wanted to capture exactly what you saw, but when you took the picture the lighting, sharpness, and focus just weren't the same as when you saw it in person? Editing can fix that.

I don't believe that editing a picture is a form of "cheating" in photography. I believe it can create new perspectives and enhance creativity. However, to take a picture just to edit it does rob you of the opportunity to become a truly good photographer. This drowns out the learning that should take place when doing the "field work" of learning settings such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and how they are interconnected.

Editing takes the viewers eyes to what the photographer wants them to see. It can fix pixel impurities and straighten the picture. My main purpose is to create a real look, not one that is limited to those that can create only a virtual reality. In essence, I edit to capture what the mind can see, but the camera can't.

This is why I use Photoshop.


*There are many things cameras can do, and they get better every year. More megapixels for sharper pictures, more ways to adjust the white balance, and so on. The camera I currently have is suffering from a few pixel discolorations (I'll have a few pixels that are just red, green, or blue where they shouldn't be). I use editing to fix this, and adjust a little for lighting. Again, better cameras could do that themselves. Therefore, the reality of the picture after editing isn't destroyed.