March 2009 Wallpaper

f/9, 1/160 sec, at 27mm, 100 ISO, on a Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

Here is the wallpaper for March. I took this way back in 2004. It was a frosty, foggy winter’s morning and I was out driving around Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir looking for things to photograph. I drove by this old dunga (a small Kashmiri canoe) and saw this.

Yes, this images has had some tweaking done to it in Photoshop. It is art. People ask me, do you do a lot of photoshop on my images. The fact is, if you shoot RAW, as I do, you have to do some amount of post processing.  If not, the image is flat and unattractive. But, beyond that, I shoot my vision and what I do in Photoshop or Lightroom is to process the image enough  to bring out what I saw or felt at the moment I shot the image. This is different that photojournalism. In photojournalism a shooter wants to capture as much of the scene as they can. Yet, I hasten to add, as soon as the photojournalist turns the image into black & white they have manipulated it every bit as much as I do. In fact, can a photographer even take a picture without it being a manipulation of a scene? We choose a moment in time, a fraction of a second and say, “This is what took place.” Is that even fair? Is it unbiased reportage? Don’t we risk taking something out of context? It is not the whole story, or even close to it. and the angle, the timing, the lens choices all sever to deliver the image in a certain way so the image speaks and tells a creation story or message.  Ok, enough of my rambling, here is the image, tweaks and all.

I am toying with making 20, 16 X 24 inch limited addition prints on metallic paper, signed and numbered for $250 + international postage. If you have ever seen a print like this on metallic paper you know this would rock! What do you think? My buddy Hariman found a lab that promises to be very professional. One of the few labs that print on metallic paper and pay attention to color profiles. Interested? In the mean time consider this as a tease. You know the drill; click the images above then do whatever it is you do to make it your wallpaper.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Blog, Lumen Dei, Photography, Wallpaper. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

  • Dennis
    We will pay $50 extra for the print with #1 on it and signed by the
    photographer
  • Dave T
    The issue of 'manipulation' is open to so many interpretations - and it can be a real issue for debate. And, although the term integrity can also be debated, I think that's what your saying. Your final image, although processed, still retains its original integrity.

    If there was a discarded cigarette end floating, but static, in the water(out of reach for you to remove at the time of taking it)you then have the dilemma of whether to remove it, or not, during post processing.

    In my book, in this instance your creating a piece of fine art; you are portryaing a scene of beauty. It's going to reduce market value with that cigarette end in it. If, on the other hand, your fundamental approach is to show everything as it actually is, for example a documentary piece, and the end user is buying the piece because they know that's your work ethic. Then removing the cigarette end would mean changing the integrity of the photo.

    DT
  • Vanessa Jackman
    Hee Hee! Yep, right after I save enough for a Nikon D3, a flash, a tripod ;-)
  • So,Vanessa, I can put you down for one? ;)
  • Vanessa Jackman
    All correct. Even choosing which part of the scene to photograph....where to aim the lens is manipulating to some extent.

    I think the limited edition prints sound like a fantastic idea and they would definitely sell as investment pieces- particularly as they are signed. Considering the woeful offerings I have seen in High Street stores which people are willing to buy (at extraordinary prices), yours would be a complete delight at a very reasonable price.
  • Great picture, zen and peaceful ambiance!

    About tweaking images, sure everyone does it, even on film! (darkroom isn't just for developing). And with RAW it's like to have a negative and to develop it (isn't it called a lightroom? lol), the tweaking always been part of the process!
    After it's all about being honest with yourself and your photographs, and it depends on what kind of photo you do.
    I think tweaking (adjusting, cropping, etc.) images is NOT the same as advertising or fashion pics, where they may change all the picture, add or take away elements (I know the process, my bro' is working on retouching pics)...
    Anyway, it'll always be discussions around that topic, so as we say in french "un vent de folie souffle dans les alpages, abritons-nous et laissons-le passer" which could be translated to something like "a wind of madness is blowing in the mountains, let's shelter and let it blow"
    Cheers!
  • Bernard Siao
    Gorgeous and atmospheric photograph....thanks for sharing!
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