Post-Production

Last night, a friend of mine took my camera, turned on the LCD screen, and checked the photos that I have taken during the day. A striking comment popped right away: “You haven’t taken any extraordinary shots!”

Com’on, give me a break! Photography is not magic. Out of the camera, you only get what you see through the visor. Camera is a tool; photography is a technique to capture the light. Everybody can take a photos. It is as simple as that.

However; not many can imagine beyond what is visible. Nowadays, there are hot debates on post production. There are so called “old fashioned” photographers supporting the statement that digitalization and “Photoshop” kill the art!

Heavy editing turns into another form of art. Yet, post production was always an important part of photography.

The photos that my friend has seen on my camera were the raw capture of light. They weren’t what I have seen. A slight crop from the side, or a touch to shadows can turn the same photo into a fary-tale.

What a photographer sees through the visor is not pure light. There are personal tastes and experiences attached to the vision. It is similar to looking at a woman and falling in love with her. Fantasies and dreams follow the reality and the scene changes in human mind. When a photographer looks through the visor, she/he usually connects the seen with the unseen.

It is exactly why I don’t like to show or to keep the raw photos. They are my captures but not my stories. Everybody can capture the light perfectly but only few take the initiative to go beyond.

For the last decade, I am trying to go beyond what is seen. Through all these days that I walked the streets of the cities and towns of different countries of different continents, I have witnessed one simple reality: Photography turns into an art form only if it is backed up with the photographers imagination. Taking a photo is the easy part, and making it ready for professional-level publishing is an important and a differentiating asset.

So to say if you are not into photography; please keep your mouth shut until you see the final product. Your impatience to find the extraordinary within the ordinary or your ignorant slef confidence does not bring any good... only annoys others...

• Photographer

  Can Berkol

• Location

  Austria, Tirol

• Assignments & Events

  Not Available

• Models

  Not Available

• Styles

  Black & White, Cityscapes, Travel

• Tags

  fog, town

• Equipment

  Canon 5D
  Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6

• Shooting Specs.

  Date Published: January 11, 2010
  Date Taken: January 17, 2009
  Aperture: f/4
  Shutter Speed: 1/320
  ISO: 100
  Focal Length: 75 mm
  

• Post-Processing

  Desaturated and contrast increased.

• Notes

  Taken from inside of a bus. Visible is a town in Südtirol, Austria. We just passed by so I don't know the name of the town.