Photo edits - more fake in a fake world?

Certainly i think photographic misrepresentation in sales is a bad thing, but barring that, passing negative judgement on photo editing seems to be a bit much. If we set some kind of absolute measure as to what is 'pure' photography and expect others to aspire to that standard, aren't we attempting to limit the photographer's creativity? Isn't creative empowerment one of the good things in this hobby? My personal aesthetic judgement is not a moral or ethical dictate, just a preference. If my photography skills are weak, should i hide my photos or only show ugly ones because of my technical unworthiness?

Also, aren't our dolls a form of illusion to begin with? They represent people, or spirits or animals, at any rate an illusion of life. We customize, make clothes and accessories to scale, all to enhance an illusion. To consider calling someone out for further extending that illusion seems a little unfair.

 

Depends on what you are trying to achieve. Photography is a form of art and art is a form of self expression. If you are trying to give your doll a realistic look by photoshopping the joint,s that doesn't make your art 'fake'... it's just what you are trying to achieve.

I showed my husband this image http://mauiart.deviantart.com/art/I-want-a-little-steam-81830814 yesterday and he said 'it still looks like a doll' and i replied 'but i wasn't trying to make him look like a real person, it would've been easier to take a picture of a man if that was the case'

Like River said in the 1st page of this thread. Before photographers used chemicals, now they use image editing softwares.

Now, if you are selling a doll and you use photoshop to erase marks or fix face ups, then it's the same as not mentioning there is damage to it. Anyone with a decent level of moral wouldn't do that.

 

(my boldface)

except in the case of sales photos (where I really feel like if you took a bad picture, you should take a better one...if *I* could get photos that I felt represented my floating head's true skin colour and captured his chipped ear, I think most people can too), I think it's the aim of photography to make the subject more beautiful than (s)he is in life, whether that's by removing stray hairs, creating the perfect lighting effect, or capturing the vulnerability of a flaw--through post-editing or not. I think that unedited photos can look amazing, especially if the photographer knows what (s)he is doing. my dolls will probably always have only unedited photos, because as TheFontBandit points out, learning to photoshop takes a fair bit of effort, and I know I'm way overwhelmed by all the crazy tools! but I think River's (?) likening of the edited/unedited style to different styles of painting (impressionist vs. raphaelite might be a nice & somewhat similar contrast) is a good one. people can certainly prefer one or the other, either to look at or to produce, but it pains my heart to hear people suggesting that others shouldn't pursue the alternate style.

 

I like to experiment with color balance, contrast, etc. to set a certain mood in my photographs. Unfortunately I don't have all the expertise or equipment it takes to do most of these things without Photoshop. I think that editing usually makes doll photos more interesting...though it can be overdone at times. I certainly don't think there's a moral issue...women on the covers of magazines are real people, not dolls. Usually when I'm editing my doll photos, I'm not removing flaws, I'm accentuating what's already there ^^

 

When it's done on a website by a doll retailer, I do think it's generally not a good practice because it's misrepresentation of the product. So far my dolls have looked like their photos, but I could imagine being very disappointed if the doll wasn't like the photo. And it's not just an issue of prettiness- for me the dolls I see photos of inspire characters, so if I were to buy a doll that didn't look much like the pics then it might totally affect my bonding with the doll. Then again, it could be different and I could LIKE the differences.

However, when you as the owner are taking pics of your dolls, I don't have much of a problem with editing (unless it's in the BJD-opedia or something and being used as a reference.) It's for the artistic purpose of the photograph, in my opinion, even though I haven't really "edited" the appearance of any of my dolls. I've just applied actions in photoshop or changed the color of the eyes if I forgot to put in the right eyes for the character.

 

When I look at someone else's pics, it never comes to my mind to think if they are edited or not. I just see the beauty of it and I don't care what means were used to achieve it.
On the other hand, I never edit the photos I make. It is on principle for me. I know it's probably not right - but they are my dolls and my way of doing things. It is like a challenge for me to make the doll pose just right, catch its face expression that is just right for expressing the feelings I want to - and I want to do it 'live', not through photoshop. Even though I know the pics would have become better if I edited them.

 

Editting photos such as for photostories, just snapshots, etc. is fine. However, doing it for selling and auctions can lead to a lot of problems, including a lawsuit on eBay and such for fraud or something of the sort which is NOT good for the seller. It is in the seller's interest to get the pictures in the auction as CLOSE as possible to how the doll actually is in person.

Lieing is simply not cool.

 

most of the picktures you see everywhere are photoshopped.
look at all the model commercials, nothing what you see is real.

I think it is fine to photoshop your pickture, to make it look better.
remove dirt or weird lights.
besides that, I think it is nice to use photoshop on your dolls.
becouse it is allready a bit of a fantasy world.

sometimes I use photoshop to put new eyecolor in their eyes.
or try a new color wig
if the eycolor or wig fits I buy the items from a website ^^
but this way I always know if it will fit them or not.

 

I think editing photos is all right, as long as it isn't something you're trying to sell. I only got my first doll a matter of a week or so ago.. However, I fussed and played with a million photos, trying lip colour, eye shadow, hair colour, fussing with the skin tone.. Adding moles and freckles to faces and tattoos to bodies. I never posted on a group like this because I didn't actually have a doll yet, so it felt out of place. But I love to play with the photos and think its fine to do it, even post it. It gives others an idea of what options there are. I just lean toward the idea of saying that its an edit and listing what you did to it, not for a factor of honesty but moreso because I think its a neat thing to do. I actually did mock ups for a friend who couldn't choose the colours for a face up. There's all sorts of ways that Photoshop makes itself useful in the dolly world.. I mean, don't we all go gah-gah for photos? Any photos?

 

I feel that dolls are good looking enough even without being edited. Still, if the edits are done for the sake of art (photoshoots and stuff), there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.

HOWEVER...
if it's for sales and you edit to hide cracks/flaws/whatnot, that's ethically wrong.

 

i think that editing doll picture is fine becuase no matter what the doll will always be beautiful. and i think dolls already acheive the unrealistic.

 

Photography always goes along with editing.
I think others in the field already explained in details how
the two went along ever since the beginning.

However, if you are talking about editing of pictures of an item for a sale, then it becomes a different story. If it is due to lakc of / problematic lighting etc, you should mention that you've edited the picture so it portrays the actual image more correctly.
Editing in order to make it look more fanciful, - to deceive another-, that is something totally differnt. If that is the case, seller is totally responsible for any consequences that may come...

 

i think as long as you're not trying to sell something with an edited picture (other than normal lighting adjustments and similar things) it's not a problem. i mean, i've done up photos of myself where i photoshop in makeup or my own kind of faceup for me. most people who edit the photos, i think, are doing it for artistic purposes, just a little somethin' somethin' to make the doll's beauty or overall look just "pop"

 

A photography belongs to the photographer. If he wish to edit his photos, what the problem? You can considere that it's most "honest" (I don't know if it is the right word ><) to say to the other if you have edit a picture.
But then, sometimes you haven't change a lot of things and the editing is barely noticeable. So is it worse enough ? Personnely I just don't care if the photos are edited or not!

Now, like noelenfant has said, it becomes a different story when you are editing pictures of an item for a sale.

 

In addition to NOT photoshopping when a doll is for sale, the other time I wish people wouldn't photoshop -- or at least SAY it's photoshopped -- is if they are posting a close up of a doll with, for example, a default faceup. Lemme 'splain.

So I'm in the pic requests forum, and I post, I would like to see default Luts faceups on your Lishe, please. And somebody posts a gorgeous pic of their doll with wonderful eyeshadow, lovely lip color, etc... and they have photoshopped the heck out of it to add said eyeshadow and richer lip color. I toddle off and buy that doll, thinking my faceup will be as rich in color as that one! and am really disappointed when it's not.

Now that person wasn't SELLING their doll to me, so I can't cry fraud and foul, but I've had that happen NOT HERE ON THIS BOARD, but with fashion dolls - and it is really pretty stinky. We're supposed to watch out for each other, and a simple "here's mine but I photoshopped the heck outta this picture" would go a long way. Instead, I felt utterly cheated, and I thought it was a pretty crappy thing to do to another collector. It's NO BIGGIE if people photoshopped, it's their picture, they can post in the way they want their doll to be seen, but in instances like that...

it's pretty sucky.

 

Photo editing is just fine by me, as long as it's not in "product for sale" pictures.

I mean, honestly, if you're going to go through the trouble of doing a photoshoot with your dollies, and you have the ability to use photoshop, why NOT enhance them and make them even more beautiful?

 

Editing photos I think can be a necessity at times for some owners who have really cruddy cameras. I usually only edit photos past just lighting and color when there's a speck of dirt or some other thing I forgot to brush off my doll before snapping the shot.

Editing doll photos is perfectly fine with me. We already know these dolls are far from real and I don't see what's wrong with making them look even more false. I'm not saying editing to make them more real is a bad thing either. By the end of the day it's still just a doll after all? I really don't see what's wrong with almost any form of editing as long as it doesn't come off as hurtful or offensive to someone else.

...Of course editing photos of something for sale, that's a different story. Some editing is okay as long as it makes the photo clearer. But if a doll has a chip or stain I didn't know about because of edited photos I'd be pretty upset with the seller for not being truthful about their sale.

 

The more editing a photo of a doll, person, artwork, etc., receives, the more professional, the photographer. All photos are judged by how well they display the subject(s.) A camera is a mechanical device that captures or displays an image that is infront of its lens. Photographers are the artists who train their eyes to see & interpret what the camera can't.

Signing a photograph is another way of "editing" a photo.

 

It depends really. If it's just like.. a little lighting and sharpening touch up(which is all I ever really do) it's okay with me.

I don't really know for photo's that are edited to high heaven with exta contrast and added in elements that weren't originally on the doll itself or the photo.. I'm a BIT iffy on. Just a little.

But hey.. it's not my photo's.. so whatever with me. XD