Let's Talk About Editing

“I hate those Instagram and TikTok filters.”

I was at Thanksgiving when the subject of photography came up. My sister had an immediate and visceral reaction to the subject of editing.

When most people talk about photo editing, they’re talking about filters on social platforms or airbrushing of the wrinkle and cellulite-removing variety.

I’ve often considered myself the purest on this front. Dismissing edits and photo manipulations as unnecessary. I’ve even said that editing ruins photography. Then, I started to examine my workflow.

While it may be evident to the photographers who follow my work, I was too close to my work to realize that I, too, am an editor of the reality I capture.

Observe the three images below:

The image to the far left is an unedited image of wildflowers, which I think asters. In the center is the same image with my usual workflow applied. To the far right is the same image with a disposable 35mm camera-like edit.

These images are wildly different, yet if asked, I would have said that I don’t edit my pictures a great deal.

The center image has my signature edit. It cools greens and blues, and warms whites to create a cool autumn feel. This is what memories look like in my mind. It is my memories preset in Lightroom. I apply it to almost everything, manipulating exposure and white balance as the image dictates.

The disposable camera edits on the far right evoke in me a summer day. This, again, is a memory edit. Warm days, summer memories, and parts of the past appear in my mind, images taken with disposable cameras on Kodak Gold.

So, why am I okay with this kind of photo manipulation but not with skin smoothing?

It might be because I see “correction” style editing as lying. I use photography to capture history and memories. I’m not making a LinkedIn profile, Instagram ad, or editorial spread to sell a product. So, if I were to do those kinds of edits, it would be disingenuous to my purpose.

That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used by others whose vision of their work relies on these edits to make their point.

Also, it's okay to use a filter to put fake makeup on your face or cat ears on your head. It’s fun and silly and easier to clean up when you’re done playing.