Is it a photo or Photoshop?

[readingr]

Just my 2 cents before I disappear off on my hols.

I think it depends on your definition of what you do. Are you an artist or not, depends on what you define as acceptable in changing a photograph to almost something that looks like a painting or a painter produces something which can be viewed like a photograph.

When 3D holograms take off as pictures what are the limits then, does that mean its the end of 2D photography because in a lot of critiques we make a point of adding depth to a photo.

In my mind the line is a meaningless concept as art cannot be defined as it is subjective and therefore eveyone will choose their own definition by available skill and time.

However, no matter what techniques we use to get to the final image whether film, digital, or graphics its the final image that we want to present to the populace is what counts.

Roger

[rsimmons]

I've always considered a person who used brushes to be a painter. Someone who used charcoal, colored pencils, and pastels was an illustrator. A person who puts their eye to the lense and snaps the shutter is the photographer. Producing the photo/image is processing. Not every photographer is involved in the processing. Not every processor is a photographer. What kind of paper you use is just as important if you're using film or a printer. Technique is technique. The advantage of the computer is the ability to try various techniques without waste. Both processes take time to do things right. Using a brush, pencil, or a Wacom tablet is similar in many respects. Digitally, you can have any brush you desire. You can even create your own. Being pressure sensitive, the tablet allows dexterity to your work, with editable changes (and layers). You can even change the texture of the paper you paint on digitally. Everyone refers to Photoshop as the defacto (and it is), but Corel Painter will actually make you feel like you are painting and it has an array of tools for photos that people seem to overlook. In some ways it is much more powerful than PS. At the end of the day it all comes down to talent and how you use the tools at your disposal. I find a lot of people become more talented when they don't have a lot to work with and focus more on the art.