wwp@yahoogroups.com:
Re: Compositions and My Contribution
Roger D. Williams 2006-Oct-11 07:57:00
On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 13:23:56 +0900, Uri Cogan <#removed#> wrote:
> I think the distinction between a "photoshop creation" and the "genuine
> article" is quite arbitrary. I can't recall any panorama that I ever did
> that did not involve some work in Photoshop, besides, where would you
> draw the line? I imagine the closest to the "genuine article" would be a
> pinhole camera with no film in it; everything else is a manipulation of
> one kind or another :-)
There may be a long continuum between using PhotoShop as a flexible and
powerful digital equivalent of the darkroom and using it to create images
that do not and could not ever have existed in the real world. But I do
believe there is a valid distinction there. It may be hard to point to a
spot along the continuum and say "this is the dividing line" but that does
not mean that the two opposite ends aren't quite different in kind. If you
don't see that, then I am afraid we have studied different kinds of logic.
I think it is simply untrue to say that "everything else is a
manipulation."
> Yoshiyuki Kaneko describes in detail how he used Photoshop to compose
> his stunning "Lure Fishing" panorama, the description is here:
Yes, I hadn't read that when I wrote my praise of his technical ability.
I see I should have praised his creativity and his PhotoShop skills.
> http://japanos.xii.jp/nikki/nikki_4/nikki_04.html
>
> Other (wonderfully creative IMO) panoramas by him are at:
>
> http://japanos.xii.jp/qtvr300/full_VR/fullVR_top.html?=top_fullVR.html#
Yes, the panoramas are quite wonderful, I agree. The fact that they are
illusions, not in any sense a capture of reality, seems to put them some
distance from conventional photography. But I am in an increasingly small
minority. I am sure your view, which I may paraphrase as "anything goes
as long as the end result is good to look at" is undoubtedly the majority
view. It still leaves me rather uncomfortable, though.
Roger W.
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