The only certainty will be uncertainty.

When I point a camera at a subject without an idea of composition and what I'm trying to represent, the result is a snapshot. In post production I might be able turn a snapshot into something that approaches being a photograph. My post production is limited to what Canon DPP 4 software can do with RAW images and what the stock 2015 version of the Apple Photos application can do with JPEGs.

I have no means of removing utility lines or adding objects that were not present in an original image. I don't wish to present an altered reality. The photos I post here are produced with a minimum of manipulation. I crop and make adjustments to lighting while trying to avoid the over saturation of colors. What you see in my photos is as close as I can get to what I saw with my eyes.

There's nothing like creating something that is the result of your own skills, vision and hard work. When I create music or take photos, there is often a great deal of trial-and-error involved. When someone on DU questions whether my work is my own or implies that it has been photoshopped, as happened recently, it pisses me right the fuck off! I don't want to eat pizza and, so far, I've been restrained in my response.

I could no more feel gratified and satisfied in taking credit for a photo created by a robot than I could in creating a song using AI. Anything produced that way is empty and meaningless. It is devoid of humanity. It is worthless shit.

If you value art made by actual, not virtual, humans, there are many of us who will continue creating the real thing. If no one else values my art, I will still take great satisfaction in making something that I can genuinely call my own.

IMO, A real photograph is art. It's how the photographer felt at the time and how they want to share it. (exception is the creative work labeled as such)

And I have had some wonderful feelings in my encounters.

Here's the simplistic healing I did with GIMP. (No AI)
A mighty nice scene, and I couldn't get out in front of the wires.





No super-saturated stuff for me.
You do excellent work!

Your alteration is flawless and the photo is splendid!

I've experimented with some free trial software, including a Photoshop product, and decided that it's not only too expensive, but adds more layers of technology that come between me and the subject.

Nothing will stop the onslaught of AI and other technologies that are reducing human creativity to zeros and ones. The future may seem bleak after reading about the Pixel 9, but I think art created by actual humans will continue to appeal to some us. Handcrafted items, live music and photos that represent consensus reality will still have a place, although they might not continue providing a means of making a living.

I'd like to see more discussions in the Photography group, not so much about gear and ISOs, but about the art of photography and the emotional connections you touched on above.

Thanks for replying.

And she thinks my photos are great.
It takes all kinds.

My dad was an artist, whose love was for oils, and he created some very fine paintings. From portraits to still life to scenics.

Some of the work posted here is just heart-warming.

Every (good) photo tells a story. About the subject and the photographer.

Cheers.

It was never really true, but for the most part people generally accepted photographic evidence as being real. Those days are now gone. Everything has changed, and it won't change back.

New cameras are going to "sign" photos somehow, cryptographically, I guess, but I have no idea if that applies to the raw file and/or a derivative jpeg. Any processing, even creating JPEGs inside the camera, is subject to tampering.

After all, firmware updates are regularly downloaded and installed. Might be back to good old film, processing signed off. Who knows?

And phone cameras are ALL processing.